Protecting What's Precious
by Kainani
Summary: Everyone has something precious they need to protect, but what it is depends on who you are. They all have different ideas as to what's important, but will they agree on the same thing in the end? Third try at summary. Will probably change again. IchiRuk
1. Chapter 1: Separation

_My first effort, so I had to edit some stuff in this first chapter. It's basically the same, but I patch up some of my spelling and grammatical errors. I also added a few more details to the story._

_I appreciate all the advice and reviews from everyone so I hope I fixed most of the things that were mentioned. I apologize in advance if any info I have in this story is wrong._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!  
_

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**Chapter 1: Separation**

_The war was over and soon she would never see him again._

Rukia Kuchiki was waiting for her other half, Ichigo Kurosaki, to join her atop the bluff overlooking the lights of the Seireitei. She could hear the sounds of wild celebrations going on all over the Soul Society clearly, even though she was quite a distance away. Everyone was crazy with happiness because their long battle with Aizen and the Arrancar had finally come to an end. Aizen was dead, the Arrancar were subdued and the human world and Soul Society were safe again. She should have been down there enjoying the celebrations with the rest of her comrades, but she had something important to do that left her feeling sad and alone.

Rukia shivered a little as a cool evening breeze blew by her. She sighed and hugged her knees close to her, but another breeze blew by and caused her to shiver. She hugged herself a little tighter and rested her chin on top of her knees in an attempt to protect herself from the chill in the night air.

_But then again_, she thought as she turned her head to rest her cheek against her knees, _maybe the cool breeze has nothing to do with my shivering._ _This feels more like it's coming from somewhere inside of me._

_If only Byakuya Nii-sama hadn't seen Ichigo and me on that rainy day that I almost died again_, she thought bitterly. Although the memory was tainted with bitterness it also was a sweet memory of the day that Ichigo finally revealed his true feelings for her.

_Then maybe I wouldn't be forced to stay here while Ichigo has to go back to the human world_, she thought.

Her face softened as she thought back to that day they had been patrolling together in the Soul Society about six months before the war ended. The Winter War had turned into the Four Winter War, but the end was in sight. They had defeated most of the Arrancar and were planning what they hoped would be the last siege against Hueco Mundo. Ichigo and Rukia had just been scouting a recently destroyed section of the Rukon district to see if there were any survivors still lingering in the ruins. They had been attacked suddenly by the Arrancar Grimmjow who had come to settle an old score with Ichigo. Rukia had tried to help, but had been beaten an inch from death before Ichigo had defeated him in a blind rage. He had thought that she had already died from the injuries she had sustained.

His pleas still rang clearly through her mind even though it had been nearly six months ago.

________

"_Please don't die, Rukia," he had whispered desperately as he clutched her limp form to his body. He chanted that simple phrase over and over, as if it were some kind of spell he could use to bring her back. _

"_Please, Rukia," he had finally said as a heavy rain began to fall down upon them. "I love you… I need you…I promise to protect you next time so you better stay the hell with me! Please don't die!"_

_Rukia found the strength to respond to his pleas then. She had slowly reached her blood stained hand out to him and gently cupped his cheek. He had loosened his grip on her so that he could stare at her in wide eyed amazement. She thought that he was crying, but the heavy rain masked any tears that might be falling._

"_Stupid, Ichigo," she had whispered as she had struggled to maintain consciousness. "You should make sure I'm dead before getting all emotional on me." _

________________

Maybe if her brother had remained ignorant of their feelings toward each other she would be going home to Karakura. Maybe if she hadn't almost died again he would feel less protective. Maybe if we…

"Maybe, maybe, maybe!" she berated herself out loud, shaking her head violently back and forth in an effort to clear her head.

_This is stupid_, she thought. "Maybe" would not change anything.

It couldn't change the fact that she would probably never see again him until he was dead. The thought left her feeling colder than she already was, but she knew what she needed to tell him that by tomorrow they would be separated for years.

_If I'm not going to be able to see him for such a long time, _she thought. _There's one last memory I want before he goes._

It was with that last thought that Rukia felt Ichigo's presence a second before she felt his strong arms wrap around her small frame. He enveloped her with his body and tucked his head into the space between her head and shoulders in one easy motion. It would never cease to amaze her how well he fit in to the shape of her body.

"You little idiot, you're going to catch your death sitting out here in the cold," he said, his annoyance with her actions dripping from every word.

At this point, she would have normally elbowed him in his ribs and snapped something about being perfectly fine, but tonight she couldn't bring herself to feel enough anger to do it. So she sat there in his arms, breathed in his warmth and wished for this moment to never end.

"Rukia? What's the matter?" he asked, his tone becoming instantly concerned once he realized the blow that he was expecting never came. When she didn't answer immediately, she felt him loosen his grip and turn her around so that she was facing him.

"Rukia?" he said again, giving her a little shake to try and get her attention.

She looked up at him then and found his intense brown eyes studying her face. His brow was furrowed and the expression on his face was his usual look of annoyance mixed with intimidation. But behind that look she could see the softness of his love and concern for her etched in every line and angle of his face. She reached up to run her fingers through his unruly orange hair and took in every feature so that it would be burned into her memory forever.

"Ichigo…" she began, hesitating because she wasn't sure she could go on without breaking down.

"What is it Rukia?" he repeated testily. She hesitated once more and took a deep breath, but before she could answer Ichigo's impatience exploded.

"Come on and answer me already! You're driving me frickin' crazy!" he exclaimed, shaking her again with enough force to whip her head back and forth.

That was enough to snap her out of her mood. She glared at him once he stopped shaking her, the tears and sadness forgotten.

"Were you just born an idiot or did someone bash your brains out to make you that way!" she cried out in fury as she punched him hard in the gut. "You don't shake a girl so hard that her head is going to snap off!"

He doubled over from her punch. "Who said anything about you being a girl!" he snapped back. "You're more like a manly little monkey!" But she saw a look of relief come over his face to see her acting like her usual self again.

She was about to snap something back at him, but he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her up to his lips for a kiss. The moment she felt his soft lips against hers she felt the world melt away. The only thing that mattered was the feel of his lips on hers, the scent of his skin and the strength of his arms around her. Her hands reached around to embrace him, but instead her hands touched the hilt of his Zanpakutou. Suddenly, memories of earlier events flooded her mind and she remembered why she was here. She deepened the kiss for one moment then gently pushed herself away.

"Rukia?" he said, sounding confused, but he didn't say anything else as he gently lowered her to the ground.

"Did Commander Yamamoto explain to you what is happening to our worlds at the meeting today?" she asked as soon as her feet touched the ground.

"Yeah," he answered while he scratched the back of his head. "The old man said something about how nobody can cross back and forth between Soul Society or something so he said something about taking care of Karakura by ourselves or something like that."

"Something about the something or the something so he said something?" she said, feeling completely exasperated with him.

"What am I ever going to do with you Ichigo?" she sighed as she slid out of his arms.

"What?!" he snapped, obviously not liking her tone which clearly said she thought he was an idiot.

"Apparently you weren't really listening when you met with the Commander and the other Captains today!" she snapped back falling into their old habit of bickering with each other. "Look you stupid idiot, there was a lot more to it than that!"

"What are you talking about!" he growled at her. "I think I got what he was saying right!"

"Listen you idiot, I'll explain what's happening to you again, so pay attention!" she shouted as she hit him hard on his head.

She made him sit down while she stood in front of him. Once he was seated (after a lot of grumbling and a couple well placed smacks) she began her explanation.

"Shortly after we beat Aizen, Division 12 discovered that because of the many battles we fought in the human world, there was a great deal of damage done to the barrier which separates the Soul Society from there. It was especially weakened in Karakura town which was the center of many of the battles," she explained, glancing at him to see if he was paying attention.

He nodded his head to let her know that he was listening and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "Uh-huh" so she continued.

"In trying to find a way to repair the barrier they discovered that too much travel between the human world and Soul Society would further weaken it. To keep the barrier from crumbling anymore, select groups of Shinigami are going be sent to the human world to protect them from the Hollows. The people in those groups will stay in the human world until the barrier is repaired. They are estimating that it will take about 100 years or so because of the size of the barrier," she lectured on while drawing him a picture using bunnies and bears to help illustrate her point.

"Are you still with me?" she asked him as she showed him the finished drawing. When she looked up into Ichigo's face he had a look of severe pain.

"I get it without the crappy pictures so could you please stop with kindergarten drawings!" he grumped at her.

She promptly rewarded him by hitting him hard on the head with the notebook she was drawing on.

"Take this seriously, you idiot!" she fumed, as she towered over his crumpled form.

While he held his head, Ichigo looked up at her and grimaced. "I know all this already Rukia!" he yelled back. "What's the hell is the problem anyway? We'll all go back tomorrow and that's all that matters!"

"But I'm not going back with you tomorrow!" she shouted at him, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

Rukia watched understanding flow over his face. "What did you say?" he said hoarsely as he grabbed her shoulders and gripped them tightly. "Did you just say that you're not coming back with me?"

She looked down at her feet and nodded. "I received my orders today that I am to stay here and help defend the Seireitei," she said quietly. She saw tears falling down to the ground.

When did that start, she wondered. She hadn't even realized that her tears had spilled down her cheeks while they were talking.

"Well, that's a load of crap!" Ichigo shouted. He startled her enough to cause her to snap her head back up to look at him. He let go of her shoulders and started to stride purposefully away.

"Ichigo!" she cried, as shelunged and caught a hold of his arm before he could go any further. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I'm going to fix this!" he shouted at her. "I'm going to go see whoever the hell it is I have to see and make this right! And if they aren't going to listen then I'm going to start kicking some ass until they do!"

"I've already tried Ichigo!" Rukia cried as she tightened her grip on his arm. "There is nothing we can do to change this!" she shouted at him. Then before he could argue with her anymore she began to explain to him what had happened this morning.

_______________

_That morning Rukia had been in the Squad 13 barracks to receive her orders from Captain Ukitake. She was sure that she would be ordered back to Karakura town to help Ichigo, Orihime, and the others. _

This is just a formality_, she had thought happily. _After today, we will be leaving together to protect the human world.

_Rukia sat in front of Captain Ukitake. He seemed to look a little uncomfortable as he watched her sit down._

"_Good morning, Kuchiki," he saidwith a slight nod of his head._

"_Good morning, Captain," she greeted him with a bow. "I'm here to receive my orders."_

_Captain Ukitake cleared his throat before he started. "Just to let you know, you have done great work in the human world and during the war, and it's been decided that you are needed here."_

_Rukia gaped at her Captain in astonishment. It took a full second before her brain started to process his words fully._

"_I'm sorry, Captain Ukitake," she stammered out. "But did I just hear you correctly? Did you just say that my orders are to stay here?"_

"_That's correct," he said with an understanding look. He knew what Ichigo meant to her and could understand her reaction. "It was determined that Kurosaki and his comrades would be sufficient protection for Karakura town."_

"_But Captain, they still don't know everything. I have almost 50 years of experience as a Shinigami and have been a part of Soul Society since I was a baby. They would need someone with my experience," she argued._

"_I'm sorry Kuchiki," he replied with a sympathetic shake of his head. "But this was a decision that was made by all of the Captains."_

"_All the Captains?" she whispered as she leaned back in her seat. _

Or was it just one of the Captains_, she thought._

_Captain Ukitake began to respond to her question,n but she suddenly jumped out of her seat and hurried out the door._

_Rukia ran. She ran as fast as she could to the barracks of Squad 6 and stormed straight into the office of her older brother, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki._

"_Why!?" she had shouted as she burst into her older brother's office. She ran straight to his desk where he was sitting and slammed both of her hands down on the desk in front of him. _

"_I don't understand Nii-sama! Why are you keeping me from my old post at Karakura town! I know you must have had something to do with it once Captain Ukitake told me my orders!" she continued angrily. _

_Her brother's eyes widened slightly at her sudden entrance, but once he gained his composure he just stared coldly at her. _

"_Answer me! And don't deny that you had something to do with it because it's the only reason that I can think of as to why I have to stay here!" she shouted._

_Her brother took in her flushed, angry face, shaking limbs and answered her question in a calm, but chilly tone._

"_It was determined that the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, and his comrades would be sufficient protection for Karakura town since they already reside there," Byakuya Nii-sama told her flatly, no emotions showing on his cold, handsome face. "They have shown sufficient skill and since Karakura town is the weakest point for the barrier it was decided that having too many people with a strong reiatsu there would be detrimental. Especially since Karakura town has so many people with a high level of reiatsu already."_

_Well he hadn't admitted that he had something to do with it but he had just repeated, practically word for word, what Captain Ukitake had just told her. This only made her angrier because it seemed to confirm her suspicions that he was the one responsible for her current situation._

"_That's what Captain Ukitake said, but it doesn't make sense," she exclaimed, slamming her hands on his desk again for emphasis. "Everywhere else has at least a group of four or five! I would be the only one going to Karakura town!" _

"_Besides," she continued. "How will they communicate with Soul Society if there is no Shinigami with them?"_

"_Kisuke Urahara will still be there," he replied, his face still expressionless. "I'm sure that he will find a way to contact us if anything should happen." _

"_That may be true, but he can't be expected to take care of the day to day business and everyone else has to go on with their human lives too!" she retorted heatedly. "They need someone who isn't tied to all of those human things!"_

_She took a deep breath and tried to calm down so she could explain herself better._

"_My friends may all be experienced fighters but they would still need someone with a better understanding of Soul Society and the Hollows. Someone who can help them when they have other things to do," she finished, trying to keep her voice from shaking with emotion._

"_It is my belief that Uruhara has sufficient understanding of all those things and I'm sure they will manage everything quite well on their own," he replied, still seeming unruffled by her outbursts._

"_You seriously don't believe that do you?" she asked incredulously. "Uruhara can't help them all the time because of his special projects for the Soul Society and Karakura town attracts the most Hollows __**because**__ of all the people there with a high level of reiatsu."_

"_Are these the real reasons Onii-sama, or is it just because you're worried about me?" she asked._

_Byakuya looked at her sternly. She thought she saw a moment of conflict cross his features, but just as quickly as she had the thought his face became his usual unreadable mask again._

_When he just looked at her and didn't answer right away she leaned back and looked at him again. A thought crossed her mind and her eyes widened with sudden understanding. The rest of her arguments vanished into nothingness as she read the hidden meaning in his silence._

"_Is it because of my relationship with Ichigo that I'm not being sent back?" she asked softly. "Is that the real reason Nii-sama?"_

_He paused a moment, a flicker of an emotion she couldn't quite place flashed across his face. His dark eyes considered her carefully before he answered._

"_I know about your feelings for each other, but you must understand that nothing can come of you being together. He is a human and you are a Shinigami of a noble family. It's best that you break from him now before it goes any further," he stated plainly._

"_But Nii-sama…" she cried out as she raised her arms to slam them on his desk again, but before she could complete her sentence or her actions he cut her off with a cold glare._

"_This is the end of this conversation. You will be staying here and there are no arguments that will change this. I expect you to have better control of yourself the next time you speak to me," he said with a grim tone that clearly said this was the end of the discussion. Then as if to emphasize his point, he turned his face back toward the paperwork on his desk and pointedly ignored her. _

_At this point, she could only swallow back her protests once her brother had spoken to her with such finality. She knew that anything else she might have said would only fall upon deaf ears. _

"_I'm sorry for my outburst Onii-sama," she said brokenly. "I will take my leave now." She bowed deeply to him, straightened and then turned and walked quickly out of the room._

_________________

Rukia's chest began to ache as she remembered all her efforts after that to get someone to listen to her arguments and change her orders. Sadly, the only thing that her pleading and arguing had accomplished was to get sympathetic looks and stern reminders about her responsibilities.

Her tears of embarrassment and sadness overflowed at the memory. Embarrassment at how she had acted in front of her brother and Captain Ukitake, sadness at how it had all been useless in the end.

"I really can't believe that you did that," Ichigo said softly to her when she finished, he wrapped his strong arms gently around her.

Then he laughed a little to himself. "I would have paid good money to see the look on Byakuya's face when you burst into his room like that."

"Oh, well, too late to change things now," Rukia muttered to herself, she buried her face into his chest as her cheeks heated from the memory. At least Captain Ukitake had been understanding once she had gone back to Squad 13's barracks and apologized. Her brother would be a different story.

She could hear Ichigo softly laughing to himself again, but he suddenly turned quiet and let her go so he could look into her face.

"I know you tried your best Rukia, but now it's my turn to try," he told her quietly. "I am not going to let you go so easily now that I've got you."

"I know you have to try Ichigo," she said as she gripped his arms. "But I need you to stay with me tonight just in case we really are separated."

"It won't happen…" he started to say, but Rukia reached up, put a finger up to his lips and pressed gently to quiet him.

With her eyes full of tears, she did the one thing he probably never expected her to do.

"Please, Ichigo," she begged softly as she wrapped her arms around him and looked up into his face. "Please do me this one favor. You can kick everyone's ass tomorrow but please, please stay with me tonight."

Surprise was written all over Ichigo's face. She had never begged him for anything. She ordered, demanded, and, on very rare occasions, asked, but she had never ever begged.

She placed all of her love and need for him in her eyes and prayed that he wasn't about to step on her heart by not listening to her.

Ichigo was quiet for a long moment while he studied her tear stained face. Then he took his Zanpaktou from his back, kneeled down and laid it on the ground beside them. He reached an arm around her waist and drew her close again.

"If you want me to stay with you that badly tonight then I'll stay," he said as he gently raised a hand to her face and brushed her hair out of her eyes. His fingers traced her jaw line till he got to her chin. He tilted her face up to him and leaned forward to place a soft kiss upon her lips.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to the soft grass.

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_Ran into some writers block for Chapter 12 so I went back and typed out my edits for this chapter._

_Got my inspiration back so I hope to have it our soon._

_Thanks for reading! I hope you found it at least a little enjoyable!  
_

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	2. Chapter 2: Despair

_Yay! I finished editing one more chapter._ _Although that's not good because it means my brain got stuck again._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or anything that goes with it!_

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**Chapter 2: Despair**

_3 months later…_

Rukia sat on the walkway looking listlessly at Squad 13's courtyard, her violet eyes looking glazed and weary. The early afternoon sun shone down brightly on her petite form, but a shadow seemed to be cast over her features.

She had finished all of her normal duties quickly today despite the fact that she had been feeling queasy and lightheaded since she woke up this morning. She kept her illness hidden because she knew that everyone around her was worried enough as it is about her health, so she put the same pleasant faced mask she used to keep her emotions hidden on and said nothing. She was determined not to show how much of a struggle it was for her to function normally today.

_But then again_, she reflected tiredly. _It seems like I've been having trouble functioning ever since Ichigo left. _

_Ichigo_, she thought wistfully. He really had tried his best to convince the higher ups to let her return with him to the human world. His arguments and actions had been as ineffective as hers but he had refused to give up. He had been so persistent that in the end she had to slap him around a bit to make him understand that his actions were just upsetting everyone and the answer still wouldn't change.

She closed her eyes and remembered their parting words.

____________

"_I'll wait for you." Ichigo had said as he embraced her one last time before he left. "I don't care how long it takes, I'll wait for you."_

No, _she thought_, I don't want you wasting your life that way. You can't live life if you're just waiting for your death so you can be with me.

_With that thought she took a deep breath and punched him hard in the gut. _

_While he was doubled over and cursing her, she glared at him and said, "You idiot! Don't you dare do anything stupid like that!"_

_Ichigo stopped cursing long enough to frown up in surprise at her outburst._

"_When I see you back here as a soul I expect a full report on how you actually _lived_ your life," she said as she gripped his shoulders. "I want to hear about your children, grandchildren and how you protected them all. Not any rubbish about how you were pining after me your whole life." _

_Rukia shook him roughly as she continued. _

"_If you come back as a sap that hasn't done anything with his life then I'll never forgive you!" she had snapped as she turned away from him. She made sure to keep her posture stiff and angry looking even though all she wanted to do was fall on her knees and cry in his arms. _

This is for his own good, _she had thought_, I can't let him mess up his life in the human world because of me.

_She had expected him to argue with her, but instead she had felt him come up behind her and then _slap_ the back of her head!_

"_What the hell was that for?!" she yelled as she rounded on him with her arm cocked back so she could bash his face in._

"_It's for being so stupid!" he had shouted as he shoved his face right into hers. "Do you honestly think I'll be able to do that stuff without you?"_

"_All I know is that you will try your best to be happy and have a life," she had screamed right back into his face. "Or else I'm going to kick your ass when I finally see you again!"_

"_Oh, yeah!" he had spit back in her face. "Well, what if I don't want to!"_

_That made Rukia pause. She blinked slowly and sighed. She took a step back so that she wasn't right in his face anymore. Then she turned her face away and stared off into the horizon._

"_How about this for a solution?" she said quietly. "I promise that I will try my best to be happy here and all I ask in return is that you promise to do the same."_

"_Why - why is it so important to you that we do this?" he asked as he reached out to grip her shoulders gently._

_She let out a slow sigh. She felt tired as she tried to put words to her feelings. Words that would make him understand that his happiness was the only thing that would keep her going while she was without him. After a few moments, she answered._

"_It's because, Ichigo, the thought of you being unhappy would kill something inside of me," she whispered as she turned her face to look up at him. "If I know that you're trying your best to be happy then it eases the pain in my heart."_

_She had expected him to argue with her more, but something in her face must have touched him because instead of arguing he had hugged her and whispered in her ear, "If it makes it easier for you then I promise to try, but if I decide to wait for you then you need to remember that it's my own damn business."_

____________

_That was three months ago_, she thought as she opened her eyes. Since then she had tried her best to keep up her end of their promise. The days were not too bad because she was usually so busy performing her duties that she didn't have time to dwell on the dull ache that seemed to have taken permanent residence in her heart. Renji Abarai, her childhood friend and Squad 6 Lieutenant, had tried to get her to talk and socialize with everyone else, but just she couldn't do it. Any time she let herself relax her unruly mind would flood her with memories of Ichigo and the dull ache would blossom into full blown chest pains.

_I wish I had taken my time with the paperwork today_, she thought as she stared blankly into the courtyard. I _had been so intent on finishing it on time that I actually finished it early._

She felt the ever present ache in her heart throb painfully in her chest as memories of them sitting in a park, on a sunny day just like this, filled her mind.

________________

_They had gone to the park near his home just for the hell of it. Rukia couldn't remember what had started the argument, but they had gone on and on as to whether or not she could ever beat him in a straight up fight. In the end she had smiled impishly at him and said, "I bet I could take you down with one move."_

_He gave a short bark of laughter and said disbelievingly, "Yeah, right, like that would ever happen."_

_As soon as he said that she had leaned over and blown a gentle breath into his ear. Ichigo had startled so hard at the unexpectedness of it that he fell off the bench and ended up sprawled on the sidewalk, pissed as hell. She had burst out laughing so hard that she had also fallen off the bench, right into his open arms… _

_______________

Pain flooded her as she remembered that day. She closed her eyes in response to the searing sensation in her chest and turned her face up to the sky.

_I don't know what's wrong with me_, she thought_. I'm so emotional lately. Every little thing makes me feel miserable. It's not like he's dead or anything._

_Please let something happen before I think about Ichigo anymore_, she prayed silently to herself. _I don't think I can take much more today._

"Kuchiki!" someone shouted, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned her head to see Kiyone Kotetsu & Sentaro Kotsubaki, the co-third seat officers of the 13th Squad, rushing towards her. They were obviously jostling each other in an attempt to get to her before the other did. Sentaro made it to her first.

"Kuchiki, come quickly!" Sentaro shouted as he skidded to a stop next to her. "Captain Ukitake has received some emergency orders and the 13th Squad has to move out immediately!"

Kiyone reached her a second after him. She was glaring daggers at Sentaro. "The Captain told me to get her you ugly ape! Why do you have to get in my way all the time!" she shouted as she shoved him hard in the chest.

"I'm an ugly ape! You're the one who always seems to be aping me!" Sentaro retorted as he puffed out his chest and tried to intimidate the smaller girl with his size.

"We better get going!" Rukia interrupted quickly as she stepped between them. If she let these two get started they would be here all day.

_I guess someone up there must like me after all_, she thought, with a feeling of immense relief. Her prayer seemed to have been answered. Then she followed a bickering Kiyone and Sentaro to see Captain Ukitake in his office.

"Captain Ukitake, I'm reporting in to receive my orders," she said respectfully as she kneeled on the floor in front of her white haired Captain. Sentaro and Kiyone stopped their fighting once they entered the office. They took up positions behind her and waited for their Captain to begin.

_I'm glad he seems well today_, she thought. He was often so ill that she worried that she might lose her Captain whom she greatly cared for and admired.

"Kuchiki," he said with a nod of his head, a slight frown sat upon his usually kind and gentle face. "Thank you for coming so quickly. There are some Hollows attacking people in the outskirts of the 66th west Rukon district. I need the three of you to help me lead the four teams we are sending to clear them out."

"I will be leading team one while Kiyone will lead team two," he explained while looking at each of them in turn. "Sentaro will be leading group three and Kuchiki will be leading group four. Please gather your groups together and assemble by the main gate."

"From the reports that we've gotten these seem to be normal Hollows, but stay alert because anything can happen," he finished.

"Yes, Captain," they responded in unison.

"Very well," he said with another nod of his head. "You are dismissed."

Rukia got up from her seat and turned around to follow Kiyone and Sentaro toward the door, but she stopped when she felt Captain Ukitake's hand on her shoulder. She turned back around to face him when she heard him speak her name.

"Kuchiki, I've been meaning to ask you how you are doing?" he asked, the concerned frown on his face deepening a bit.

"I'm fine Captain," she replied with a small smile. He just looked at her, unconvinced. "I've just been very busy working hard."

"I noticed that, Kuchiki, but I think you should take it a little easier," he told her as he gripped her shoulder. "You're not looking very well lately."

"Thank you for your concern, Captain," she said as she gave him a small bow. "But I swear that I'm fine."

Captain Ukitake studied her face carefully then gave a brief nod. "All right, then I will see you at the main gate, Kuchiki."

She bowed once more, turned around and then left his office.

_______________

Captain Ukitake stood in front of the main gate of the squad 13 barracks. He turned to face his people to review their orders with them before they moved out.

"According to our reports there is a band of 4 or 5 Hollows attacking people on the outskirts of the 66th west Rukon district. We will be splitting up into 4 groups to hunt them down and destroy them," he explained to them. "I will be in charge of team one, third seats, Kotetsu and Kotsubaki will be in charge of teams two and three; and finally fourth seat Kuchiki will be in charge of team four. If any of you get into serious trouble fire a signal into the sky to alert the other teams."

"Is that understood?" he finally asked them.

"Yes, Sir!" they all responded in unison. And with that, Captain Ukitake ordered the gates to open and Squad 13 moved out to do battle with the Hollows.

_________________

Running quickly through the trees, Rukia led her team of eight through the filtered light of the woods. Even though the late afternoon sun was still shining down the woods were cool because of the thick canopy of leaves overhead. She was still feeling a little light headed, but the queasiness had passed.

_I have to snap out of it_, she thought firmly. _I think I'm just moping too much. That must be what's making me feel sick._

"Stay alert, everyone," she called over her shoulder to the others. "And make sure that we stay all together. The Hollows can pop out from anywhere and at anytime."

"Yes, Sir!" they answered her.

As she looked forward again she suddenly felt the presence of a Hollow in front of her. She leaped back just in time as a wicked looking claw came crashing down in the spot she had occupied just a moment before.

"You four - circle to the left and try to surround it so it can't escape!" she ordered quickly. "The rest of you - watch our backs and make sure that nothing else tries to sneak up on us while we're fighting this one!" Then she leapt forward, with her Zanpakutou drawn, to distract the Hollow while the rest of her team got into position.

The Hollow towered above her. It was grayish green and had many tentacles sprouting from its back. Its white mask was triangular in shape with two of the corners curving up so that they looked like horns. It was squatting like a toad on the ground while it screamed its frustration out. Most Hollows had no scent, but this one smelled horribly like death and decay.

_This is a really nasty Hollow_, Rukia thought to herself before her Zanpakutou connected with its flesh.

The Hollow screamed when Rukia's Zanpakutou managed to slice its arm in half. The tentacles on its back shot out towards her in an effort to impale her to the ground. She nimbly dodged to the side and did a quick scan of her surroundings to see if the rest of her team were in position. Seeing that they were ready, she moved in for the killing blow.

"Hyaaaaaa!" she shouted as she leapt up and brought her Zanpakutou down swiftly on the Hollow's mask. She managed to make contact with the top of its mask, but the tentacles on the Hollow's back suddenly shot upwards and blocked her blow. She pushed back, but had to immediately twist to the left as another tentacle tried to stab her from the right. As she landed solidly on the ground she could hear her comrades engaging the Hollow while she tried to catch her breath. She stood up quickly, but swayed for a second when she became suddenly dizzy. She put her hand up to her forehead and gave herself a quick shake to try and dispel the sudden feeling of vertigo, but it didn't help.

"Kuchiki!" she heard someone shout, but she felt too disoriented to figure out who it was. She looked up just in time to see the Hollow breaking through the defense of her comrades and make a mad rush towards her. She tried to lift her Zanpakutou to meet the head on attack, but darkness ate at her vision and she felt herself slowly start to fall toward the ground as her Zanpakutou slipped out of her grasp. The last thing she saw before the darkness swallowed her completely was the gaping jaws of the Hollow coming towards her.

_I'm sorry Ichigo_, she thought. _I don't think I'm going to be able to ever see you again._

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Hopefully I caught most of the mistakes._

4


	3. Chapter 3: Reprieve

Thanks a bunch to those who reviewed my story! Please enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't (sniffle) own Bleach! (sob)

**Chapter 3: Reprieve**

Captain Juushiro Ukitake was extremely worried.

He had just finished disposing of the Hollow his team had found and now he was rushing to the location of Kuchiki's team. He just had a bad feeling that something was going wrong at that location. Or maybe he was concerned because of Kuchiki's ragged condition.

When he saw her walk into his office so weak looking before the mission he had considered keeping her out of this assignment. Her face was so pale that her skin looked ashen. She had lost weight and her violet eyes were dull and huge in her face. He had stopped her before they left to ask her how she was doing but as usual she had just smiled wanly at him and insisted that she was fine.

She always tries to put a brave face on for everyone, he thought. She's always thinking more about everyone else.

In the end he had decided that she would be worse off if he left her at the barracks with nothing to do instead of on the Hollow hunt with the squad.

Seeing her in that condition made him wonder for the millionth time if he had made the right choice in keeping her here.

When the Captains had met to discuss who would be going to the human world Kuchiki's older brother, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, had been very adamant in his arguments against her placement in any of the teams going there. Everything that had been said he had prepared a counter argument for but in the end it was Rukia's status that had been the deciding factor.

"_I do not believe that it will be necessary to send Rukia to the human world." Captain Kuchiki stated. "Kurosaki Ichigo and his comrades have sufficient skill to take care of Karakura town by themselves."_

"_What about their ability to communicate with the Soul Society?" Captain Ukitake had asked. "Won't they need someone with them to act as a go between?"_

"_Urahara Kisuke will still be in Karakura town and will be able to aid them."_

"_Still they may need more outside help because they are all still living humans." Replied Captain Kyouraku as he tipped up his straw hat to look at Captain Kuchiki. "Besides won't Rukia-chan be a bit disappointed. We all know how she feels about Kurosaki."_

"_That is another reason why she should not be allowed back. She has responsibilities here as a member of the Noble House of Kuchiki. If anything were to happen to me then she would need to take over since there are no other heirs. I do not believe that the risk of an extended mission is in her best interests or the interests of the Kuchiki family."_

_All of the Captains had been fully aware of Rukia Kuchiki's strengths as a Shinigami, but because she was the sole heir to the Noble House of Kuchiki the other Captains decided to grant Captain Kuchiki his request. Besides, her relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki was perceived as "unhealthy" by some of the Captains and this was thought to be a good opportunity to break their ties. In the end because of Captain Kuchiki's arguments the other Captains were persuaded to keep Rukia in the Soul Society. _

_At that time he had thought that she would bounce back. Even if she suffered a little he had thought that her natural resilience and strong will would help her recover. _

_If she could survive the death of her adored Vice-Captain, Kaien Shiba, by her hands then she surely should be able to recover from this, he had thought at that time. _

In the three months since Kurosaki and his group had left he had watched her slowly deteriorate day by day. She hid her true emotions well and anyone who wasn't really close to her would never have suspected that anything was wrong. The worrisome thing was that now it seemed that her depression was starting to seriously affect her physical health.

I shouldn't have agreed to have Kuchiki stay here, he thought to himself as he led his team to her location. Now she seems to be sicklier than I am.

Captain Ukitake suddenly felt Kuchiki's reiatsu spike and became instantly more concerned. It felt like her reiatsu but something was just a little off about it.

I'm going to have to use Shunpo to get to her quicker, he thought.

"I'm going on ahead!" he shouted to the rest of his team just before he vanished from their sight.

When he arrived at her location, his eyes widened in fear at the sight that greeted him.

He arrived just in time to see Kuchiki begin to swoon as she tried to stand up to help her team. Right at that moment the ugly, grayish green Hollow broke through the defenses of the rest. For some odd reason it seemed intent on eating her because it ignored the rest of the team and barreled straight toward her.

"Kuchiki!" He shouted in an effort to warn her.

He saw her try to bring up her Zanpaktou to ward off the attack but instead he saw it slip out of her grasp as she fell slowly to the ground. He heard the Hollow scream in triumph as it opened its gaping jaws to devour her.

_**Clang!**_

Captain Ukitake made it just in time to block the Hollow with his Zanpaktou before it could reach her. He shifted his stance and shoved the thing back with all his strength. The hideous thing flew backwards and was slammed into a tree with a loud crack. He moved quickly in front of it before it could recover and with a quick downward slash he cut the Hollow in half. The Hollow let out one last scream as it dissolved into nothingness.

He turned around and cast his senses about to see if he could feel anymore Hollows in the area. After he was certain there were none he sheathed his sword and walked quickly to Kuchiki's prone form on the ground. The rest of her team was standing around her murmuring to themselves. They seemed concerned but unsure about what to do. Captain Ukitake felt a pang of sadness at the sight but he could understand their hesitation.

Even though Kuchiki was an excellent warrior and leader in battle she was not a very open person and she didn't let many people get close to her. Her status as the sister of the head of the noble Kuchiki family usually pushed people even further away from her.

"Kuchiki?" he called out as he kneeled down next to her. He gently turned her small frame over to examine her unconscious body. A sigh of relief came to his lips as he realized that she had no serious injuries and had just fainted.

Right then he heard Kiyone & Sentaro rushing over to their group.

"Captain!" they shouted together as they slid to a stop on either side of him and Kuchiki. "What happened?" Both were breathing hard because they had been trying to get to him before the other. Their poor teams behind them all collapsed to the ground in exhaustion from trying to keep up.

"Is everyone else ok?" he asked.

"Yes, Captain!" Sentaro exclaimed as he puffed out his chest in pride. "My team subdued our Hollow first and made our way here once we felt the fight going on here!"

"Well, my team and I finished off two Hollows before we headed here, Captain!" Kiyone interjected, not to be upstaged by Sentaro.

"You did not you ugly, little hag!" Sentaro yelled angrily at her.

"Enough!" Captain Ukitake shouted, his worry for Kuchiki making him a little impatient with them.

When are these two going to realize that they are both important to me and the squad, he thought. He felt completely exasperated with them.

"Sentaro, Kiyone, I need you to take Kuchiki to the Squad 4 barracks and have her checked out." He said. "In the mean time, I will lead everyone here in patrol to insure that we have gotten rid of all the Hollows."

"Yes, captain." They said in unison. Then Senataro bent down to lift Kuchiki up in his arms.

"Don't worry Kuchiki I will make sure you get to Squad 4's barracks in one piece." He said.

Kiyone's feathers got instantly ruffled. She turned toward them and said, "No Kuchiki, _I_ will make sure that you get to Squad 4 barracks safely. This ass here is only good as a pack horse."

"Shut your mouth, Kiyone!" Senatro snapped back as he turned and started off in the direction of Squad 4's barracks.

Captain Ukitake watched their verbal sparring as they headed back toward the Seireitei with Kuchiki.

At least they're reliable when it comes to carrying out their orders, he thought as they vanished from his sight. They just can't do anything together without fighting about it. He turned toward the remaining members of his squad to issue his orders.

I better make sure to let Byakuya know, was his final thought before he completely turned his attention to his squad. I know Kuchiki hasn't spoken to him since she was forced to stay here and he probably doesn't know how sick she really is.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hope I got Captain Ukitake right.

I had a little trouble getting into his head when I wrote this.

I should have the next chapter out soon.

3


	4. Chapter 4: Fear

_Thanks for reading my story! Please enjoy the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Fear**

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki was in the Squad 6 barracks trying to do his daily paperwork. His hand held his brush gracefully above his work but the paper below was still white and fresh. His handsome face was its usual haughty, unreadable mask, but his thoughts were racing back and forth as he worried about his younger sister, Rukia.

She had not spoken to him since Kurosaki and his friends had left for the human world three months ago. He supposed that it was to be expected but he felt that her anger with him was excessive. After all, he had only been trying to protect her. His inability to get her to see reason was a constant thorn in his side.

_She still refuses to see or speak to me_, he thought as his feelings of frustration peaked. _I cannot persuade her to be reasonable and I cannot bring myself to force her to talk to me, especially since I am the one responsible for keeping her here._

Byakuya let out a small, almost inaudible sigh as he placed his brush back into its rest. His chair gave a small creak as he leaned back into it. He would have to give up on his paperwork until he could figure out what to do about Rukia.

_The problem_, he thought to himself for the hundredth time, _is that I really do not know what I should do. Rukia looks as if she is getting weaker and weaker every single day and she will not listen to me or return home._

_All I seem to be able to do is watch her fade away_, he thought bitterly. _This is just like my last days with Hisana._

_Hisana_, he thought sadly as her memory caused a sharp pain of longing in his heart. _I wish you were still here. I know that you would know what to do for Rukia. I feel as if I am always making the wrong choices with her._

"Should I have let her go to the human world, Hisana?" he asked the empty room quietly as he closed his eyes. "Would she have been better off in the human world with Kurosaki rather than here with me?"

Byakuya listened with all his heart for an answer, but as usual there was only silence.

_I have to stop doing this_, he thought, feeling a little sheepish. _I keep asking for her advice as if she were still here._

_I have to make a better effort to figure this out by myself_, he thought. _Maybe if I look this over from the beginning again I will see something that I missed._

With that final thought, he let his mind go back to the argument he had with Rukia three months ago. He had gone over this scene many times before in his head and he always seemed to come up with the same conclusion, but maybe this time it would be different.

The only mistake he could see was how he had sorely underestimated Rukia's attachment to Kurosaki. Even though that probably had been a crucial error he still felt that there had been no other rational decision for him to make at that time.

Byakuya had expected her to be upset, but he did not think that she would react with such uncontrolled anger. Her sudden appearance in his office had shocked him enough to cause his normally unshakeable composure to slip. Her rude, forceful behavior towards him was a first because before then she had always been respectful even if she disagreed with him.

_I still cannot believe that Rukia actually burst into my office and slammed her fists on my desk_, he thought, remembering how taken aback he had been. _She was so impatient that I didn't even have a chance to recover before she started demanding an answer from me again._

Byakuya had needed to take a moment to regain his usual arrogant mask and give his mind a chance to catch up to what was going on. He had run through several things he could tell her, but decided that the best explanation would be to simply tell her that she was not needed in the human world.

"It was determined that the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, and his comrades would be sufficient protection for Karakura town since they already reside there." Was all that he had meant to say at first, but when he noticed the increasing fury on her face he realized that she would never accept such a simple explanation so he continued.

"They have shown sufficient skill, and since Karakura town is the weakest point for the barrier it was decided that having too many people with a strong reiatsu would be detrimental. Especially since Karakura town has so many people with a high level of reiatsu already."

Byakuya remembered feeling quite satisfied at coming up with that additional bit of information so quickly. Rukia, on the other hand, had been obviously unimpressed by his reasoning. She had glared at him with such intensity that he had been taken aback for the second time that day. He never thought, in all his life, that Rukia would ever direct a look of such scalding anger and fierce determination at him. He may have fully recovered from the first shock but was dumbfounded again by her reaction to his words.

_I did not realize that Kurosaki meant that much to her_, he had thought as her angry, violet eyes continued to try and bore holes into him. He had felt a pang of regret for having caused her so much pain, but he quickly pushed it aside.

_Keeping Rukia here is for the best_, he had told himself as he got a firm grip on his self control and prepared himself to defend his decision to keep her here.

Rukia did not give him long. As soon as he had finished his thought she began to fire her arguments one after the other at him. For every ready answer he had she seemed to have another argument ready to give back to him. Despite this, he was able to give justifiable answers for each and every one of her arguments.

_I am glad that I was so well prepared for the Captain's meeting_, he thought, feeling relieved as he invalidated another one of her reasons.

They probably would have kept the irate question and answer session going a while if she had not suddenly asked him the one question he had not expected or could have been prepared for.

"Is it just because you're worried about me?" she had asked.

That one question threw him for a moment and left him silent. In that short pause many things ran through his mind.

He thought about just screaming out how much he cared about her.

Or just shaking her until she could understand how much danger she was always putting herself in.

But mostly he thought about embracing her and telling her how their relationship was not simply about keeping his promise to Hisana anymore.

He thought about all these things and more in that one moment of silence, and then shoved it all back into the depths of his heart because he could not allow himself to share any of this with her.

He was Byakuya Kuchiki head of the Noble House of Kuchiki and his pride and upbringing would never let him show such weakness to Rukia or anyone else. Self control was what he had been taught so that he could be a strong leader for the Kuchiki Family. It was weakness to let your emotions rule you. Byakuya had lived that way for so long that he feared that to lose that control would cause him to lose everything important that was left in his life.

_The only exception to that rule was Hisana_, he thought. _I let my emotions rule me when I married her and promised to take care of her little sister. I made many wrong choices because of my foolish emotions. I do not want to make the same mistakes with you again Rukia._

He had taken a breath to respond to her question but she had used his silence to come up with different question for him.

"Is it because of Ichigo that I'm not being sent back?" she had whispered.

Byakuya had looked at her beautiful face and violet eyes that were so much like Hisana's and thought carefully about what he should say.

His heart had wavered at the expression of loss that she had on her unguarded face. He could understand her feelings about being with the one she loved but on the other hand, he had a duty to protect her. He wavered for only a second before he strengthened his resolve and told her that she should break all her ties with him. It broke his heart to have to hurt her that way but he could not allow her feelings for Kurosaki to continue, especially because he never seemed able to protect her properly.

_That insolent, stupid Kurosaki_, he thought. _That boy is forever getting Rukia into dangerous situations which he can never seem to protect her from. I cannot let her go when I will not be there to protect her._

The many precarious situations that Rukia had been in had run through his mind, but the one that had finalized his decision to make her stay was the last attack she had suffered at the end of the war.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia had been patrolling together when a surprise attack by the Arrancar Grimjjow had left her near death. She had only survived because Byakuya had been nearby and had felt the sudden spike and disappearance of her reiatsu. Worried about what might have caused it he had grabbed Hanataro Yamada, the nearest Squad 4 medic, and rushed toward her location. They had arrived just as a heavy rain had begun to fall. Kurosaki had just reached Rukia's side and was in the process kneeling down to cradle her broken body in his arms. As Kurosaki had clutched her seemingly lifeless body tightly to him Byakuya could hear his ragged voice begging her over and over not to die because he loved her.

_Stupid boy_, he had thought as he watched them in the rain. _What good is your love if you can't protect her?_

Byakuya gave his head a little shake and opened his eyes.

_This is no good_, he thought. _I am not getting anywhere with this. I will just have to find Rukia and confront her in person. Even if she does not want to talk to me, I will find a way to make her listen to reason._

Byakuya stood up from his desk and began to stride purposefully toward the door to go find her, but just as he was about halfway to the door his tall, red haired Lieutenant, Renji Abarai, came crashing into his office.

"Captain!" Renji shouted as he opened the door so hard that it slammed against the wall. His eyes were wide with panic and he seemed to be breathing hard.

"Renji," Byakuya said with disdain as he glared at his Lieutenant for his uncivilized behavior. "Why are you breaking down my door?"

"I'm sorry Captain, but it's about Rukia." He gasped out urgently. "We just received a message from Captain Ukitake. She collapsed suddenly during her mission and she's currently being treated in the Squad 4 barracks by Captain Unohana."

His eyes widened as he felt his heart grow cold and shatter.

**_No.  
_**

That was the only word that ran through Byakuya's mind as he took in the news. It repeated over and over again like a broken record that he would never be able to fix.

He struggled to maintain his composure as he swept past his Lieutenant to get to the door. Just as he reached the door he paused to look over his shoulder at Renji.

"Thank you for the information Renji. Stay here and take care of the squad while I'm gone."

Then he used Shunpo to speed his way to Squad 4's barracks.

* * *

_First of all I wanted to thank Hail the Wolves for her (sorry!) advice. I hope I did a little better in this chapter._

_I did take some liberties with Byakuya's character to better fit the story, but this is basically how I've always thought he was underneath. _

_ I meant to go on with the storyline but enjoyed writing about Byakuya's POV so much he ended up getting the chapter all to himself._

_Thanks again for reading! And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	5. Chapter 5: Resolve

_As always, thanks for the reviews and reading my story!_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Resolve**

Rukia felt a soft, comforting hand on her brow. Its warmth spread through her head and eased the lightheaded dizziness that had plagued her for so many days. The warmth further spread and wrapped her body in a cocoon of comfort. It made her feel like rolling over on to her side so that she could fall back to sleep, but something kept nagging at the edges of her consciousness. Confused thoughts swirled in her foggy mind like leaves in a storm.

_Where am I?_

_What am I doing here?_

_There was something – something important that I was doing…_

"The hollow!" Rukia cried as she suddenly bolted upright. She probably would have said more, but her sudden movement caused a wave of nausea to suddenly hit her. She leaned over to the side and was about to be sick but the warm hands she felt earlier caught her. One hand rubbed her back gently while the other cradled her forehead. The soothing warmth from those hands spread through her body once more and immediately eased the nausea that had been about to envelope her.

As soon as she felt better Rukia sat back up slowly so that she would not cause herself to feel nauseated again. She blinked slowly and turned to her head to the side to look at the owner of those healing hands.

"Captain Unohana," she said, feeling surprised. In spite of the nausea, her body felt like it was all in one piece and didn't feel injured at all. Rukia didn't understand what injury she could have possibly had to merit the attention of the Captain of Squad 4. "Thank you. I'm feeling much better now."

"I'm glad that you are feeling better, Miss Kuchiki.", she said kindly. Her gentle face was drawn into a look of concern. "You gave everyone quite a scare when you fainted."

_That's right_, Rukia remembered suddenly. Her mind racing back to review the fight she had just been in. _I fainted while we were fighting that grotesque hollow…_

_The hollow! I left them all alone with the hollow!, _she panicked.

"Captain Unohana, is everyone in my team ok? Did they defeat the hollow? How did I get here? I thought that I was about to die but…"

Captain Unohana smiled a little in response to Rukia's sudden concerned babbling, she held up an elegant hand to stem the flow of words coming out of Rukia's mouth.

Once Rukia noticed Captain Unohana's hand she stopped the jumbled questions that she had been running out of her mouth. She felt a little embarrassed by her outburst, but a worried look still sat upon her face. She waited anxiously for Captain Unohana to answer her questions about her team.

"I understand your concern Miss Kuchiki but let me assure you that everything is fine." Captain Unohana said in an effort to ease the worried look on Rukia's face. "Captain Ukitake arrived in time to rescue you and help your team dispose of the hollow. Miss Kiyone and Mr. Sentaro brought you here to be cared for. You were the only one who needed any medical attention."

_That's a relief, _Rukia thought as she leaned back heavily into the headboard of her bed. The lines of her faced eased into a more relaxed expression. _I was worried that I put everyone else in danger. I can't believe I actually collapsed like that and put everyone at risk!_

Rukia probably would have continued the mental beating but a shift in Captain Unohana's movement caught her attention. Rukia looked into the healer's face to see her looking intently at her.

"Now that we have gotten that out of the way," said Captain Unohana a little briskly. "I need to talk to you about your condition Miss Kuchiki."

_Condition?_ Rukia wondered to herself_. What in the world is she talking about? I thought I was just being dopey about Ichigo._

"My condition?" she asked out loud as she looked at Captain Unohana blankly. "I just fainted from exhaustion, right?"

"Not exactly," she said as she sat down in the chair next to her bed. She moved her hand to Rukia's elbow and gripped it gently. It was the same gesture that Rukia would expect someone to do to keep her from falling. Then Captain Unohana leaned forward and spoke four words that Rukia never imagined she would ever hear.

"You're pregnant, Miss Kuchiki."

"I'm what?" Rukia whispered as her violet eyes grew wide with shock. Her hands fluttered unconsciously to her stomach as she stared in disbelief at Captain Unohana.

"You're pregnant with twins." she answered calmly as she gripped Rukia's elbow a little tighter.

_I must look like I'm about to faint again, _she thought hazily. _I know that's what I feel like._

Captain Unohana must have sensed something too because she let go of Rukia's elbow and placed one hand gently on Rukia's back again while the other gripped her shoulder.

_I wonder if why I feel so numb, _she wondered_. Is it just shock?_

"I'm ok," Rukia said quietly once she was able to push some of the haze in her mind away. "But are you sure?"

Captain Unohana nodded patiently. Her face was sympathetic as she sat back down on the chair next to Rukia.

"When they brought you here I noticed the shift in your reiatsu and examined you myself. There is no doubt in my mind that you are about three months pregnant with twins."

_Twins, _Rukia thought numbly as she turned her head to stare blankly at the sheets on her bed. _Ichigo and I are going to have twins..._

A small, wry smile suddenly lit up her pale face.

_He always goes overboard- even when he's making babies_, she thought. Once she had that thought she began to feel a bit better. Her mind finally seemed to be able to wrap itself around the news. She even actually began to feel some happiness at the thought of having two little Ichigo's running around.

_Well, maybe not two little Ichigos. I don't think anyone in Soul Society would be able to survive that…_

"Miss Kuchiki," Captain Unohana called, suddenly interrupting Rukia's train of thought. She reached her hand out again to grip Rukia's elbow. Rukia refocused her eyes on the Captain's face and realized that Captain Unohana was looking at her with a very serious expression on her face, her dark eyes were like two pools of sorrow.

"Miss Kuchiki, I know that this is a lot to take in at one time, but I'm afraid I have to tell you everything now so that we have time to make certain decisions. I would love to be able to give you the luxury of time to get used to everything but time is something we don't have a lot of right now."

"What do you mean, Captain?" she asked quickly, the news of a problem with her babies instantly wiping away the last traces of her shock. She pressed her hands protectively against her stomach. "Are my babies sick?"

"No, no," Captain Unohana responded right back. "The babies are healthy and as far as I can tell their physical development is normal. The problem is the amount of reiatsu they're producing. I don't know if it's because they are twins or if it has to do with their father, but the amount of reiatsu they are producing is strangely high. In fact, the amount that I can feel from them right now is greater than that of a baby that's ready to be born."

"I'm sorry but I don't understand, Captain Unohana." Rukia said feeling confused by the explanation. "How does this affect my babies if they seem healthy?"

Captain Unohana leaned back a little and took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She seemed to considering what she should say.

She opened her eyes and began her explanation.

"When a woman is pregnant she and her baby are connected so closely that they are almost like one person. Everything that the mother has is shared with the baby and vice versa. As the baby grows so does its reiatsu, and this is shared with its mother just like everything else. The baby's reiatsu mixes with the mother's and becomes one with hers. This is why we have to guard the pregnant women in Soul Society so carefully. Sometimes their baby's reiatsu is so strong that when it mixes with their mother's it attracts hollows."

She took a breath so that she could continue. When she did, she glanced at Rukia to make sure that she understood her explanation so far. Rukia nodded anxiously in encouragement for her to continue.

"With the rate that your twin's reiatsu is growing your body will begin to break down from the strain. Your body can handle increases in reiatsu if it has the time to adjust, but the twin's is increasing so fast that your body doesn't have that time. The amount of pressure their reiatsu is putting on your body is going to cause it to deteriorate rapidly. If it keeps growing at their current rate, I would say that by the time you are about five months along your body will give out completely and you will die along with your children." She finished solemnly.

Rukia's mind began to swirl and she felt the blood drain completely out of her face. Before she could pass out she gave herself a little shake and turned to squarely face Captain Unohana.

"What are the solutions?" Rukia asked around the lump that had developed in her throat. Her strong, delicate hands clutched her stomach a little tighter.

"There are two solutions for your situation, but I think that only one of them is viable." The Captain responded as Rukia watched her sit back down again.

_I must have blacked out for a second, _Rukia thought. _I don't even remember her standing up._

"The first solution would be to remove your reiatsu from your body. Once we remove it your body will only have to deal with the babies' reiatsu and it won't deteriorate as fast. This should be able to allow the three of you to last a few months longer." Captain Unohana explained as she regarded Rukia steadily. She was probably trying to determine if Rukia was going to faint again. "But this would mean that you would have to give up your powers as a Shinigami forever once we remove it. We would never be able to put your reiatsu safely back into your body. "

Rukia swallowed the swelling lump in her throat so that she could speak.

"But we would survive?"

"It's highly unlikely, Miss Kuchiki." Captain Unohana replied sadly as she looked away from Rukia. She turned her head back and continued. "I personally don't think that this is the best option because even if you were to do this, you and the twins would have only a 10 chance of surviving together. If you're lucky you may be able to hold on till you're seven months along but that would still be too early for the twins to survive without you. The strain from carrying them would probably also weaken you to the point where you could die too."

"Then what is the second option?" Rukia asked fearfully. She had a sinking suspicion what the second solution would be.

"The second option is to terminate the pregnancy now before it starts to seriously affect your health." Captain Unohana replied softly - as if she could ease the harshness of her words with the tone of her voice.

Rukia sat unmoving in her bed as Captain Unohana's soft spoken words crashed into her. Despite the gentle delivery of those words, Rukia felt herself shatter from the meaning.

"No! That can't be the only other way!" Rukia shouted desperately as tears began to seep into her eyes. "There has to be some other solution that you can think of!"

Captain Unohana lowered her eyes sadly toward the floor and shook her head slowly.

"I'm sorry Miss Kuchiki, I know that this is difficult, but this is probably the best option that we have. If you try to have the babies we will probably lose all three of you. If you terminate your pregnancy now then you will at least save your own life." She said with deep sympathy.

Rukia could only sit numbly in her bed and stare at her.

"Do you want me to stay with you while you think about what I've told you?" Captain Unohana asked with her voice full of compassion her.

"No, please - no… I'd like to be alone for a moment." Rukia choked out. She had to be alone before she lost all her self control.

Captain Unohana considered her trembling form for a moment. A look of understanding crossed her face as she nodded.

"As you wish, I will leave you alone for a while so you can think about it. When you are ready to speak to me, please let any of my squad know."

Then with one last sympathetic look Captain Unohana walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

As soon as Captain Unohana left Rukia alone in the room she leaned forward, brought her hands to her face and started to sob uncontrollably. Her small frame shook violently as muffled sobs wracked her body. She felt as if the world had suddenly blown a whole through her chest leaving her empty of any happiness - any hope.

_**No**__, _she thought._ This can't be happening... _

_What did I ever do to deserve this_? She silently cried out to the universe_. I never really thought about having children but now that I am, I have to kill them?_

_Oh, Ichigo_, she thought fervently, _I wish you were here right now_.

Maybe if he had been here to share her grief she wouldn't feel as if she were being ripped to pieces on the inside by a million cutting blades.

_I thought watching Ichigo leave me was the most painful thing I ever experienced but I was wrong, _she cried in her head_. This hurts a thousand times more. I'm going to have to kill my babies to save my own miserable life just like how I did with Lieutenant Kaien... _

_Am I going to be condemned to the kill people I care about for the rest of my life? _

That last thought made Rukia pause for a moment in her grief as she suddenly had a revelation.

_These two represent the love Ichigo and I share, and that alone is enough to make them precious to me, but even if that wasn't the case I would still really love and care about them_, she realized. _I didn't even know that I was pregnant until today, but I already feel a deep connection towards these two little persons inside of me. _

She took a deep, shuddering breath and began to gather herself back together.

_They are a part of me and I am a part of them_, she thought vehemently. _To kill them would be the same as killing a piece of my own soul._

Rukia felt her resolve grow and solidify as she made her final decision.

_I won't let the two of you die, _she thought fiercely as she wrapped her arms around her stomach -hugging it tightly. _I'm strong and I know I can last until you're ready to be born. Even if it means giving up on being a Shinigami or risking my life, I will protect you and make sure you get a chance to live your lives. I _refuse_ to lose both of you for any reason._

Rukia wiped her eye and nose with the sheet that lay over her lap. She made herself as presentable as possible and then called out to ask if anyone could bring Captain Unohana to speak with her.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_

_I got this chapter out kinda fast because I actually had a whole day to work on it. The next one will probably take a bit longer._


	6. Chapter 6: Obstacles

_Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Sad to say, but Bleach is still not mine!  
_

**Chapter 6: Obstacles**

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki arrived at the Squad 4 barracks only minutes after receiving the news about Rukia's collapse from his Lieutenant, Renji Abarai. He was so worried that he reached the gates of Squad 4's barracks without even remembering exactly how he got there.

_Rukia, _he thought as the need be at her side pulsed urgently in time with his heart. _Please be all right._

He swept through the doors, past the startled members of squad 4 and proceeded immediately to Captain Unohana's office to find out the gravity of Rukia's condition.

"Captain Kuchiki!"

"Captain…"

"Can we…"

Byakuya ignored all the stammered inquiries of Squad 4. They scrambled after him, trying to stop him from barging unannounced into Captain Unohana's office. He paid little heed to them and strode forward with a single minded determination. Byakuya was so intent on reaching his destination that he did not notice Captain Unohana's presence until she seemed to almost magically appear in front of him.

"Captain Kuchiki," she said as she cast a look behind him to reassure her squad and warn them away. "I'm glad that you're here. I just finished speaking with Miss Kuchiki and I was just about to send for you. I feel it is important that I talk to you about her condition as soon as possible."

Byakuya's heart sank when he heard her words. His face hardened into his usual cold arrogance in preparation for the bad news he felt sure was on its way.

_It must be very serious, _he thought numbly, i_f Captain Unohana needs to speak to me so immediately._

"What is wrong with Rukia?" he asked. He was able to keep his tone mild and without emotion, but his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. They were practically glowing with his anxiety and looked like two burning holes in his face.

Captain Unohana opened her mouth to answer, but looked behind Byakuya and stopped. Byakuya turned, following her gaze, and realized that they still seemed to have an audience hiding around the corner.

"Please follow me to my office where we can discuss this privately," she replied, seeming slightly annoyed with the behavior of her squad. She turned away from Byakuya and quickly walked down the hall. Byakuya blinked at her abrupt departure and then followed after her.

Once they were seated in her office, Captain Unohana explained all the details of Rukia's pregnancy to him. As she described the dangers Rukia faced he felt himself grow still, he barely breathed as he absorbed the news. It was only when she finally explained Rukia's options for recovery that he felt himself relax a little with her explanation.

"I've already explained to her that she will make a full recovery once she terminates the pregnancy. I made sure she understood that her other choice was too risky to try."

"So Rukia will be fine as long as the pregnancy is ended?" Byakuya asked in relief, although his eyes still looked a bit anxious.

"Physically she should be fine but I want to be sure you understand how hard this will be for her emotionally." she replied, her calm face very serious. "I've left her alone for the moment because it seemed like she needed some time to herself, but I think that you should keep her close for now. At least until she has had a chance to get over her shock and grief."

"That should be no problem," Byakuya replied smoothly. His face was able to relax into his usual mask now that he knew that Rukia would be fine. "I will speak to Captain Ukitake and arrange for her to have an extended leave of absence from her duties."

Byakuya felt happy to arrange anything now that he knew that Rukia was going to recover. Although he had to admit that he did feel a quiet sadness in his heart for her. Because of his experience with Hisana he could imagine what kind of grief Rukia must be feeling right now. The sadness, though, was tempered with an enormous amount of relief.

_I am sorry for Rukia's loss, but I am grateful that there is such a simple solution for her to recover, _he thought. _This should be easier for her to recover from then her tragedy with Lieutenant Kaien. She did not know she was pregnant until today and I do not think she is ready to give up her powers for a child._

Byakuya's face hardened at the next thought that entered his mind_._

_This is that stupid Kurosaki boy's fault, _he thought angrily to himself_. Even when he is not here he is still causing her grief._

There was a light tapping at Captain Unohana's door that interrupted Byakuya's train of thought. Captain Unohana looked past him and at the silhouette standing in the frosted glass of her door.

"Yes, please come in Isane," Captain Unohana answered in response to her Lieutenant's knock. The door opened and a slender young woman with short silver-blue hair entered her office.

"Captain, I'm sorry to interrupt you and Captain Kuchiki but Miss Kuchiki is requesting to speak to you," she said in a polite voice as she bowed respectfully to her Captain.

"Thank you, Isane," Captain Unohana replied with a brief nod. "We will be there shortly."

Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu bowed once more and left the room – closing the door softly behind her.

Captain Unohana turned her gentle face towards Byakuya. There was a regretful expression on her face as she addressed him.

"I think it would be best if you were there for her," she told him as she rose from her desk. "She has had some very sad and shocking news and I believe that it would be best if she has someone from her family with her."

She waited for Byakuya to nod in agreement and then walked around her desk and headed toward the door. Byakuya stood a little after she passed him and followed her out.

_I hope I can find something to say that will comfort her,_ Byakuya thought a little nervously as they made their way to Rukia's room. _I always have such a difficult time expressing my true feelings to Rukia. _

They climbed to the third floor of the building and walked down a long white hallway. There were doorways lined along both sides of the walls, but all the rooms Byakuya looked into seemed to be empty. Captain Unohana walked to the last room which had the only closed door. She opened it and stepped in with Byakuya close behind.

Rukia's eyes widen slightly in surprise as she noticed him standing behind Captain Unohana. He stared at her slight form sitting in the rumpled bed. Her eyes and nose were red and swollen while her cheeks were flushed. Her violet eyes also seemed a bit glassy and feverish.

_She has been crying and she looks so ill, _he worried as he moved further into the room so that he was standing next to Rukia's bed. _I hope once this is over she begins to get her health back._

"Nii-sama" she said quietly as her hands nervously smoothed the sheet on her lap. "Thank you for coming to see me, but why are you here?"

Byakuya felt a little hurt at her question, but he quickly dismissed the feeling and concentrated on saying something that would comfort her and ease the worried look on her face.

"I wanted to be sure that you are well." he said, carefully controlling his voice so that it remained neutral. "You have not been home for three months and I wanted to check on you."

"I see," she said faintly. She seemed a little taken aback by his admission that he was there because he cared about her health, but Byakuya was rewarded by a tiny smile that graced her face.

Unfortunately, that small expression of happiness was replaced by a worried look again. Rukia gave her head a little shake – almost as if she were shaking some troublesome thoughts away - and turned towards Captain Unohana.

"I've decided that I want to keep my babies," Rukia said simply, her eyes regarding both of them steadily. "I'll do what it takes to give them a chance to be born."

The room fell silent after Rukia's announcement. Byakuya stared at Rukia as if she had suddenly sprouted another head. His heart stopped at this unexpected announcement, but began to pound in his chest as his shock began to wear off and his fear for her began to rise. He was about to snap something angrily at her but Captain Unohana, sensing the shift in Byakuya's mood, spoke quickly to intervene before anything irretrievable was said.

"Miss Kuchiki," she said, startling Byakuya and Rukia from the staring match they seemed to be having. They both turned to look at her in surprise. Captain Unohana had spoken at a normal volume but in the dead silence of the room it almost seemed as if she had shouted Rukia's name. "You remember that I did say that it was an option but the likelihood of your survival was very slim. I know that you are strong but even a person with a Captain's level of abilities would have very small chance of surviving."

"I remember," Rukia replied serenely, her mood suddenly doing an about face. She smiled a little dreamily as she gently placed a hand over her stomach. "And I understand the risk, but this is my decision and I will be able to keep us alive until they're born."

"What did you say?" Byakuya snapped. When he heard Rukia say that she understood the risks, but was still willing to risk her life for those things to be born the last traces of his shock evaporated and was replaced by anger.

"What kind of foolishness are you talking about Rukia" he said coldly as his fear for her pushed him closer to losing control. He wanted to get closer to her but he forced himself to stay where he was. If he got any closer to Rukia, he would probably start shaking her. "You will not be keeping those things inside you any longer. Especially when they will die anyway."

"There is no guarantee of that, Nii-sama!" Rukia shouted as tears threatened to spill down her face. "Captain Unohana said that there was a chance and as long as there is a chance I'm going to take it."

"I will not allow you to make such an idiotic choice," he replied, a thread of anger actually seeping into his voice. "You will get rid of them before they kill you."

"I will not, Nii-sama," Rukia said through gritted teeth as she glared defiantly at him through her tears. "And nothing you say will make me change my mind."

Byakuya was about to snap another angry order at her but Captain Unohana's clear voice rang through the room and interrupted him.

"Captain Kuchiki – come outside with me for a moment, please."

She grasped Byakuya's forearm and gently pulled. He refused to budge as he turned back to glare at Rukia again. Despite the tears in her eyes she met his scathing look and glared back with the same fierce determination he had seen three months ago in his office. Captain Unohana tightened her grip and pulled him a little harder.

"Captain Kuchiki, I'm afraid that I have to insist that you step outside with me right now," Captain Unohana repeated in a sterner voice. She tugged once more on his arm and this time he managed to rip his gaze away from Rukia and follow Captain Unohana out of the room. Once they were outside Captain Unohana closed the door gently and led Byakuya down the hall into one of the empty rooms near Rukia's.

"I would appreciate it if you could control yourself and refrain from yelling at my patient," she said evenly as she turned to face him. "She is under a lot of strain at the moment and upsetting her this way could cause complications."

"But she is behaving irrationally," Byakuya replied as calmly as he could manage. The idea that he was putting Rukia at greater risk cooled his temper down enough for him to gain control of himself again. "I thought she understood what choice she had to make."

Captain Unohana cast her eyes downward for a second and sighed. She seemed to be lost in thought as she seemed to contemplate the floor at her feet.

"I think she may just need a little more time," Byakuya heard her murmur to herself just before she looked up to address him.

"I wanted to do the procedure right away because the longer we wait the higher the risk of permanent harm being done to her body, but if she needs time to adjust to this news then we could probably wait for a month before it gets too dangerous. Any longer than that then her body will begin to fail."

"If her life is in danger then we should just force her to go through with it now because she is clearly not in her right mind."

"But I think she is, Captain Kuchiki," Captain Unohan replied solemnly. "I believe she really does understand the risks, but is still determined to protect her children with her life."

Byakuya took a breath and was about to argue with her, but Captain Unohana raised her hand to stop him before he could start.

"Give her time, Captain Kuchiki," she told him. "Ordering and yelling at her to do this will not change her mind. Give her time to adjust and think things through. Give yourself time to convince her that the other choice she has is the right one."

Rukia watched Captain Unohana and her brother walk out the door and into the hall. As soon as the door closed softly she felt herself begin to tremble violently from her emotions. While her brother had been there she had the strength to keep everything bottled up, but once he left the adrenaline ran out of her body and left her feeling shaky and weak.

_I'm so pathetic, _she thought as a little hysterical laugh escaped her lips. _Byakuya Nii-sama comes and I go all to pieces. _

Rukia trembled for a little while longer, but she suddenly brought both her hands up and slapped her face. Then she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself.

_I will stop acting like this, _she ordered herself._ Being overrun by baby hormones is just going to make me seem insane. If I keep behaving like this I'm going to have to start kicking my own ass._

Slowly she got the trembling to stop and reined in her panic enough so that she could start thinking clearly.

_Nii-sama won't let me have them, _she thought grimly. _He will find a way to end my pregnancy. Once he is determined to do something he always follows through. _

Engrossed in her thoughts, Rukia stared sightlessly at the door while her hands plucked absently at the sheet in front of her.

_Nii-sama sounded so angry - I can't remember the last time I saw him show so much emotion. He is so caught up in his concern for me that I won't be able to make him understand how I feel._

_What do I do?_

Just then the door to her room opened and Captain Unohana and her brother walked in. Captain Unohana tried to look reassuring but her brother seemed to be radiating waves of frustration and anger.

"Miss Kuchiki…" Captain Unohana began but she was abruptly cut off by her brother.

"You will have one month to think this over Rukia. I expect you to make the right choice by then."

Then Byakuya turned around abruptly and left the room, leaving a dismayed Captain Unohana and a stunned Rukia staring after him.

_I have one month to make the right choice._

Rukia's mind grabbed on to that thought while Captain Unohana was explaining other things to her. She murmured agreements and nodded her head every now and then but she paid no actual attention to what Captain Unohanasaid. The wheels in her brain were to turning rapidly as she came up with a plan.

_One month should be just enough time_.

--

_Thanks again for reading!_

_I had a hard time writing this one but I hope that it came out ok!  
_


	7. Chapter 7: Reunion

_Disclaimer: I double checked, but I still don't own Bleach!_

_----------------------_

**Chapter 7: Reunion**

_About one month later…_

A full moon hung silently in the sky, but thick clouds blocked most of its light and cast the Soul Society in shadows. Very few lights were on at this late hour and the only noise was the rustling of the leaves in the wind. Rukia walked quickly, but stealthily, through the dark halls of Kuchiki manor. She glanced around as she tried to avoid any people she sensed. She was trying her best to suppress her reiatsu as well as that of her twins. She had to get to the back of the Kuchiki estate where the family's private senkaimon stood. Although everything was dark she moved with relative ease because she had practiced this route many times since her brother had brought her back home.

Since the day Byakuya Nii-sama had given Rukia his ultimatum, she had managed to stall him until the very last moment regarding her decision about her pregnancy. She had only told him a couple of days earlier that she would comply with his wishes. Before she had given him her decision, he had kept a very close eye on her. In fact, he had spent so much time at the Kuchiki manor that Rukia had started to wonder if he had given up his position as a Captain to watch over her.

He had relaxed a bit and had gone, more or less, back to normal after she had informed him of her decision. Rukia thought he would be more suspicious of her change of heart, but he seemed so relieved with her choice that he had even agreed to let her wait till the end of the week to have the procedure done.

_I have to hurry, _she thought urgently as she felt her way through the dark. _Nii-sama will be back from his mission soon and then I will have missed my chance_.

"I've put the guards at the Kuchiki senkaimon asleep," said a voice that sounded a bit like an old man's. Although the voice had come from right in front of her the darkness was thick enough that Rukia couldn't see the speaker at all. "Once you go through, Kisuke will be waiting for you. He has everything ready."

"Thank you," Rukia whispered breathlessly, unable to say more because of the effort it took for her to simply keep moving.

Ever since Rukia had found out about her pregnancy her body had deteriorated just as Captain Unohana said it would. There was no pain, but she felt exhausted all the time and doing the simplest of tasks, such as sitting up or eating, had become an onerous chore. It always felt like her body weighed ten times more than it was supposed to and she constantly felt like she was moving through thick syrup. It was only her strong will and determination that kept her moving forward in the darkness.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the disembodied voice from earlier asked. "Once you go through that gate you can never come back."

Rukia placed her hand over her stomach where a small bump was forming. A protective love welled up in her heart as she felt the proof of her children's existence.

"Yes, I'm sure."

----------------------------

One month after that…

_A cool breeze blew gently across Ichigo's back and ruffled his already wild orange hair. He should have felt chilled, but Rukia's warmth radiated through his entire body. He looked lovingly down at her as she lay beneath him. His large, rough hand reached out to tenderly caress her soft, smooth cheek. She closed her radiant, violet eyes at his touch and rubbed her delicate skin against his palm. _

_Ichigo slid his hand forward until he was cradling the back of her neck and then slowly he drew his face toward her lips. He felt her breath quicken as he brought their lips together._

_She always smells so good, he thought as he pulled back from her lips to gaze at her. I just can't describe it. It always makes me think of something fresh and clean, like new fallen snow._

_Rukia opened her dark eyes and tilted her face up towards his, a small smile playing upon her lips. Ichigo leaned forward to cover the last bit separating them and…_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Aw, hell!" Ichigo shouted as he slammed his hand on the top of his alarm to turn it off. He yanked the plug out of the wall and threw the clock across the room. It banged noisily into the wall and fell to pieces on the floor.

Ichigo rolled over and pulled the covers over his head in an effort to get back to sleep – back to his dream. Soon he felt himself drifting off, but his door burst open and his father, Isshin Kurosaki, came charging in.

"Ichigoooooo!" Isshin yelled as he aimed a flying kick at Ichigo's head. "Rise and shiiiine! Don't waste your youth away on sleep!"

Ichigo sat up quickly, evading his father's foot just before it made contact with the side of his head. His father flew past him and slammed full force into the wall. He hit it with enough impact to shake the whole house.

"You stupid old man!" Ichigo yelled as he sprang the rest of the way out of bed. "What the hell, do you think you're doing!?!"

"A point for you Ichigo!" his father shouted, but because his face was still smashed against the wall it came out more like, "Marf pyoinf fo mu ijido!"

_Freakin' crazy old man, _Ichigo thought as he glared at his father's crumpled form on his bed. _I'm going to college now and he still insists on doing this kind of crap to me every morning!_

Ichigo was about to yell at his father to get the hell out of his bed, but all of a sudden Isshin Kurosaki sprang up like some kind of psychotic jack-in-the-box and dived toward Ichigo again. Having had to deal with this his whole teenage life, Ichigo was prepared for this move and easily dodged by stepping to one side. His father sailed past him again and made another unceremonious face plant into the far wall.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Ichigo screamed in frustration as he stomped over to his old man and planted a foot - hard - into the middle of his back. "Why the hell did you have to stay here, old man! You should have taken that damned Captain's position in Soul Society. I wouldn't have cared if _**you**_ stayed in Soul Society for the rest of my life!"

Isshin Kurosaki stood up, throwing his son off of him in one easy motion. Ichigo flew in a graceful arc then crashed solidly into the floor and banged his head into the wall with a resounding thud.

"How can you say that to your father, Ichigo!" Isshin cried as he went to stomp a triumphant foot onto Ichigo's stomach. "I could never leave my darling daughters in your questionable care for that long! Oh, Karin! Yuzu! Oh, the apples of my eye! Don't worry! Daddy will never leave you!"

"Aw, shut the hell up already you old fool!" Ichigo shouted as he grabbed his father's foot and threw him out the door. He quickly slammed it shut and locked it before Isshin could recover.

_Damn it! _He cursed as he ran a hand through his unruly orange hair._ I guess I might as well get ready for class. I sure as hell, won't be able to go back to sleep after all that._

Ichigo walked to his closet and grabbed a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He got dressed and grabbed his back pack from beside his desk and a small, round object which he placed in his pocket.

_Another day to live through…_

"I'm leaving now, Rukia_,"_ he said quietly as he gazed at a picture of Rukia and him, sitting on his desk_. _

_I'll see you in my dreams tonight. _

Then Ichigo swung his backpack onto his back and headed downstairs, where he could hear his younger sister, Yuzu, calling him for breakfast.

"Nii-Chan! Breakfast is ready! You better hurry or else it's going to get cold!"

Ichigo walked into the brightly lit kitchen where Yuzu was finishing up the last touches on their meal. Karin, Yuzu's twin, was already seated at the table calmly eating her breakfast.

"Morning, Ichii-Nii." Karin greeted him without even looking up from her food. "Did you do us all a favor and off the old man?"

"I wish," he mumbled as he snagged a piece of toast from his plate. He didn't sit down and instead made his way to the front door.

"Nii-chan!" Yuzu said in disapproval. "You have to eat more than that before you leave."

"Sorry Yuzu!" he called over his shoulder. "I've gotta get to class! I'll be home for dinner!"

"What class, Ichi-Nii?" he could hear Karin shouting after him as he walked out. She probably had more to say but she was interrupted by the pounding steps of his father as he charged down the stairs towards him.

"Ichiiiigooo!" he was shouting manically. "How dare you leave without eating all of Yuzu's delicious cooking! Don't you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the…"

SLAM!

CRASH!

Ichigo had timed the closing of the door so that his Dad would run full force into it. He could hear his father's sobs as he tried to milk Ichigo's sisters for some sympathy. Ichigo shook his head in disgust at his father's behavior and walked out into the quiet morning street.

_You would never guess that he's actually a really powerful Shinigami from the way he behaves. _Ichigo grumbled to himself. _I wish he would act like a normal man his age._

Thoughts like these ran through Ichigo's mind daily, but despite his annoyance with his father's behavior a very small part of him was grateful for Isshin's daily "training sessions". It kept him on his toes and gave him something else to think about besides Rukia. He figured his idiot of a father probably knew that if it wasn't for the daily family routines Ichigo would probably be moping a lot more than he was now.

_It's been five months since I've last seen you Rukia, _he mused sadly as he stopped for a moment to look up into the sky. _I wonder what you're doing right now._

Ichigo looked ahead again and his mind wandered further as his legs automatically began carrying him in the right direction.

_I'm doing what we promised each other that last day. I'm going to school and I'm going to take over the clinic from my stupid old man. I'll follow through on our promise, _he thought with a small smile. _ Besides, I sure as hell, don't want to get my ass kicked when I see you again._

Ichigo was so absorbed in his thoughts that it took him several minutes before he realized his Substitute Shinigami Badge was flashing.

_Well, at least this hollow came out early… and it seems like it's nearby too, _he thought as he fished around in his pocket. _ Great, I have a lot of time to take care of it before I have to get to class._

After a few seconds, Ichigo finally found what he was looking for and brought out a little green pill. He dusted it off on his shirt and swallowed it. His Shinigami form was instantly forced out of his body so that he was ready to battle the hollow.

"Kon," he told his body which was now standing up and glaring at Shinigami Ichigo. "You know the drill, keep heading toward my school and I'll catch up to you later."

"Why the hell should I?" pouted Kon as he sat Ichigo's body down on the ground in protest. "You've been carrying me around in your dirty, stinking pocket for three days now and I'm sick of it!"

"Well, you deserve it for trying to make out with all those girls in my biology class the last time, you perverted ball of fluff!" Ichigo growled at him. "If I had someone to take care of my body while I'm busy I sure as hell wouldn't bother with you!"

Ichigo was about to say more but he felt the hollow's presence suddenly appear to his right, about twenty yards away. He turned toward it just as the hollow let out howling scream. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a small dark haired form running as fast as it could away from the hollow that looked like a huge flying cockroach. It had multiple legs on either side of its body and two long antennae sprouted from the top of its head above its white mask. It flew after its victim with a buzzing sound as its wings vibrated rapidly in the air.

The girl, who was wearing a light blue one piece dress, stumbled a bit, but recovered instantly and kept on running. Ichigo couldn't see her face from this distance but she looked like she was exhausted and was ready to fall at any moment.

"Is that a soul it's chasing?" he wondered aloud to himself as he drew his zanpakutou, Zangetsu, from his back and started to run toward them. "No, I don't see a soul chain…it's a living girl!"

Ichigo rushed urgently forward and made a flying leap just as one of the hollow's antennae shot out and wrapped itself around the girl's arms and chest. The girl cried out as it lifted her up into the air to bring her to its wide mouth. Once the hollow had her off the ground Ichigo realized there was a telltale bulge under her dress.

_Damn it! _He thought as he brought Zangetsu down and severed the antennae holding the girl aloft. _Crummy ass hollow is trying to eat a pregnant girl!_

As soon as the antennae loosened, Ichigo changed direction quickly and gently caught the girl as she began to fall. He could feel her body trembling as he grasped her close to him. He was just about to look down and say something comforting to her but the hollow charged and forced his attention back to it.

Ichigo blocked its huge teeth with Zangetsu and flung it back with one swing of his arm, he squeezed the girl tighter to his chest to keep her from falling. Then he leapt away from the hollow and used shunpo to carry the girl to where Kon was watching the battle.

"Take her, Kon," Ichigo ordered as he deposited the girl into his arms.

He turned back to the hollow and met its head on rush towards them with Zangetsu. Ichigo grunted slightly at the impact of the hollow's body against his zanpakutou, but he shoved it back easily. Grasping the hilt with both hands he reversed his motion and swung upwards to neatly slice the hollow in half. It disintegrated before Ichigo even returned Zangetsu to his usual place on his back.

Ichigo turned and started to walk back towards Kon and the girl. Kon had put her on the ground so that she had her back turned towards Ichigo. He still couldn't see her face, but something about her nagged at his mind. Her shoulder length, dark black hair blew gently around her as she looked at Kon. Kon was staring at her with wide eyes and a stunned expression on his face.

_It seems weird to see such a dopey expression like that on my face, _thought Ichigo as he hurried forward to prevent Kon from doing anything stupid. _She must be really pretty for Kon to be staring like that. I would have expected him to be pawing at her by now._

"Nee-chan," Kon whispered as he stared with wide eyes into the girl's face.

Ichigo stopped in shock just behind her, unable to believe what he had just heard. Kon only called one person that he knew by that name and she was supposed to be stuck in Soul Society - out of his reach for the rest of his life.

The girl seemed to sense him behind her because she slowly turned around to face him. Beautiful violet eyes set in a delicate face looked up at him in recognition. Her raven colored hair blew across the soft creamy skin of her face as he stared, dumbfounded, at her. Ichigo felt as if he had suddenly fallen back into his morning dream.

"Rukia…"

Ichigo continued to stare at her as if she were a mirage that was about to disappear. He was sure that his face was now a mirror image of Kon's goofy expression, but at that moment he didn't care. His eyes kept telling him the impossible was standing in front of him.

"Rukia…," Ichigo whispered again, he barely breathed as he stared at her. "Is it really you?"

Ichigo saw tears begin to form in her eyes as she stared up at him. Her beautiful smile began to spread across her features. He reached his arms out to embrace her but they were rudely interrupted by Kon's usual enthusiastic greeting.

"Neeeee-chan!" Kon shouted as he gleefully tried to grab her. "How I've missed you! How could you leave me alone with Ichigo all this time…"

Ichigo watched Rukia duck under Kon's approaching arms and elbow him sharply in the ribs. Kon fell flat on his face, and began to cry.

"Nee-chan," Kon wailed as he lifted his face to stare tearfully at her. "Why are you always so mean to me! I just wanted to show you how much I missed you!"

"Hey! Take it easy Rukia!" Ichigo shouted at her in alarm as he saw her leg getting ready to stomp on Kon. "That's my body you're messing with!"

"Well, honestly Ichigo, I would have thought that you would have taught him better manners by now," she said as she lowered her foot onto the middle of Ichigo/Kon's back. She stomped on him a couple more times, dusted herself off and then rested her hands protectively over her stomach.

"What the hell are you doing!" Ichigo shouted at her, feeling upset and annoyed with her callous treatment of his body. "That's my body you're kicking the crap out of and it's not my fault that Kon is a pervert!"

"Whatever," she snapped as Kon , who recovered quickly, wrapped his arms around her legs. Rukia shoved at his head in an effort to get him off of her. He immediately clung tighter in response to her efforts and started sobbing nonsense into her thigh. "Just get back in your body, Ichigo! Hurry up, before I have to break your arms!"

Ichigo threw one last murderous glare in her direction and then complied. He bent down and pulled himself into his body. As soon as he was back in, he coughed until he was able to spit Kon back out into his hand. He shoved Kon's pill roughly into his pocket and took his place by Rukia's side. Ichigo wrapped his arms around Rukia's waist, buried his face into her chest and inhaled her clean, wonderful scent. He felt Rukia pause for a moment, seeming a bit startled by his sudden shift in mood, but she wrapped her arms around his head and hugged him tightly to her.

"Rukia…," Ichigo said quietly, his forehead pressed against her so that he was looking at her stomach. "Is this what I think it is?"

Ichigo waited a few moments for her answer as he continued to stare at the bump under her dress. When she didn't say anything he looked up into her face. He saw her smile softly as she nodded her agreement.

"When? How?" he asked, still feeling a little stunned.

Rukia frowned in response to his rather dumb question.

"I think the answer to both is quite obvious, stupid," she replied as she flicked him lightly in the forehead.

He rubbed his forehead where her finger made contact. His annoyance with her reaction to him started to rise but he got it under control and concentrated on the more important issues.

"Why didn't you come and tell me sooner?" he demanded as he released his hold on her so he could have a better look into her face.

Rukia looked away from his intense scrutiny and sighed. She stepped back from him and said, "Let's go to your place first, Ichigo. I don't think we should talk about this in the middle of the street."

He looked at her and contemplated demanding an answer right now, but a group of people appeared out of nowhere and walked by. When he heard their whispered comments about their position together on the ground, Ichigo realized that Rukia was right. He stood up, grasped her hand firmly in his and began to lead her back to his house.

Rukia didn't say anything the whole way back to his home and seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Ichigo's thoughts were also in turmoil, but he couldn't help feeling contented at the warmth of her hand in his.

When they reached Ichigo's house he expected his father to rush in and make a big fuss, but nothing happened. Even Karin and Yuzu seemed to have disappeared for the day.

_Was I gone that long, _he wondered as he led Rukia up the steps to his room. She was still unusually quiet and docile as he opened his door and pulled her in. Out of habit, she immediately sat down at her usual spot on his bed and tucked her feet under her. Ichigo closed and locked the door behind him. Then he sat on the chair at his desk and faced her.

"Okay Rukia - talk," he said with a deep scowl on his face. "Why are you here? And why were you running away from such a weak ass hollow?"

----------------------

_Thanks for reading this chapter! __I hope you enjoyed it!_

_Ichigo was missing for so long that I just wanted to get him back into the story. I'll let you know how Rukia got back to Ichigo in the next chapter. _

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!  
_


	8. Chapter 8: Faith

_Thank you to everyone who is still following this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Faith**

Rukia looked away from Ichigo's intense gaze as she pondered how she would explain everything to him. She had been caught off guard by the Hollow because she had been so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't noticed its presence until it was practically on top of her.

After her initial happiness with Ichigo's rescue, Rukia's thoughts had gone right back to the same circle they had been traveling before. Even the comforting feel of his rough, warm hand in hers had not been enough to calm her. As she sat on his bed, she realized that she still wasn't sure what she was going to say.

_I don't want to put Ichigo and his family in danger, _she worried quietly to herself. _I probably wouldn't have come at all if Urahara hadn't prodded me to._

Her mind thought back to the conversation she had with Kisuke Urahara, former Captain of Squad Twelve, about two weeks before.

___

_Rukia was lying on a medical table in Kisuke Uruhara's secret lab deep beneath Urahara Shoten. The lights were low and gave the lab a slightly eerie feeling. All types of wires were connected to her and they were linked to various machines that beeped and measured her body's signals. This place still made her feel uncomfortable even though she had been here for almost two weeks._

"_Everything looks good, Miss Kuchiki," Uruhara said as he peered at Rukia from under his floppy, green and white striped hat._ _"You've completely synced with your gigai so now you're basically human. Your twins are also developing well in their special gigai's that I developed for them."_

"_So am I ready to go out on my own now?" she asked as she sat up and began plucking at the wires impatiently. Rukia knew that it was important to make sure everything was working properly but she still hated the feel of the wires touching her. She was also anxious to finally be able to go outside and breathe some fresh air._

"_You're free to go and hide among the humans now, Miss Kuchiki, but I think that you'd be better off if you weren't alone," he said as he flipped open the fan he always seemed to carry, and covered the lower half of his face."It may be none of my business, but I still think that it would be best if you let Kurosaki know about your condition."_

"_If I go to him he'll want to protect us and that will place him and the rest of his family in danger," she said as she concentrated on plucking off the electrodes one by one. "I don't want the Soul Society going after them because of my selfishness. Besides, even if the Soul Society doesn't come after me, the gigais the twins and I am in won't be able to suppress all of their reiatsu till I give birth and the Hollows will start targeting us . So no matter how you look at it everyone will be in danger because of me."_

"_That may be true, Miss Kuchiki," he responded as he snapped his fan closed. "But which is the more selfish course? To tell Kurosaki and give him and the friends that care about you a chance to help you? Or to have so little faith in the man you love that you hide from him and never tell him the truth? "_

"_How dare you! It's not like that at all!" she replied angrily as she jumped down from the table she had been sitting on. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me!"_

"_Now, now," he said lightly at her as he peered out at her from under the brim of his hat. "There's no need to get so angry, Miss Kuchiki. I'm just speaking my mind. You don't have to pay any attention to me – but you do remember what I told you, don't you?"_

"_I remember," Rukia replied vehemently. "But I still believe that what I'm doing is right."_

"_You may indeed be right, Miss Kuchiki," he continued in the same light tone. "And prove the rest of us wrong by surviving with your children."_

_Rukia started to feel a little mollified by this, but Urahara wasn't done yet._

"_But," he continued in a more serious tone. "It's still more likely that all three of you will die." _

_And with that blunt statement, Uruhara had turned around and started to walk toward the exit of the lab. He looked over his shoulder at Rukia who was glaring speechlessly at his back, and gave one last parting shot before he left the room._

"_And if the twins live and you don't, Miss Kuchiki," he said as he continued up the stairs to the training chamber above. "Who's going to take care of them once you're gone?"_

_-----_

"Oi! Rukia!" Ichigo snapped as he lost patience with her silence. "Did you hear me? I asked you, why the hell were you running away from such a weak ass Hollow?"

Rukia's head snapped up to look at Ichigo as he startled her out of her thoughts. She hadn't realized that she had taken so long to answer his questions.

"I was running away because I can't fight hollows anymore," she said as she looked away from him once more to stare at his blanket on the bed. "I've given up all my powers as a Shinigami."

"What do you mean, 'given up'," he asked, his face becoming confused. "Is this like when we first met and you gave me your powers to protect my family?"

"No, Ichigo," Rukia replied as she looked back at him. She started to reach for some paper on his desk and a pen. "Maybe if I draw this out for you, you'll have an easier time understanding."

Ichigo immediately snatched the paper and pen out of her hand.

"I'm not stupid, Rukia," he snapped as he wadded the paper up into a ball and threw it, along with the pen, far out of Rukia's reach. "So please spare me the torture and just explain to me what the hell is going on."

Rukia glared at him angrily for his insult to her drawing abilities, but she calmed herself by giving him an upper cut and knocking him off his chair. He landed on the floor with a loud thud and glared angrily at her.

"Will you cut it out already!" he yelled as he picked himself up from the floor and sat back in his chair. "You're stalling, Rukia, and I need to know what's going on."

Rukia blinked in surprise at Ichigo's observation. She hadn't thought that she was stalling, but now that he mentioned it she had to grudgingly admit that he might be right.

_I just have to start at the beginning, _she thought. _And then, I guess, the rest of what I need to say will follow._

She took a deep breath and began.

"I had to have my reiatsu removed permanently so that I could survive long enough to give birth," she started to explain. Ichigo started to take a breath to interrupt her but she quickly cut him off before he could say anything.

"Let me finish, Ichigo, and then you can ask me all your questions after," she said a little impatiently.

Ichigo frowned a bit at her tone, but he nodded and leaned back into his chair to hear the rest of her explanation.

"The reiatsu the babies are producing is unusually strong. It's so strong that if I didn't have my reiatsu removed then I would probably be dead by now because the levels would be more than my body could handle," she continued as she glanced at Ichigo to see if he was following her explanation. He seemed to be nodding as if he understood. "Even though this gigai Urahara gave me is helping me suppress their reiatsu, in about another two months their reiatsu will rise to a point where it will start leaking enough to attract Hollows."

_And be so strong that my body will start to give out, _she added silently. She knew that she would eventually have to tell him this, but she didn't want to worry him yet.

"Okay, so I understand why you were running earlier, but why are you here? ," he asked slowly with a look of consternation of his face. "Couldn't they have taken care of you in the Soul Society? Because from what I remember when I left, Byakuya was only going to let you leave the Soul Society over his dead body."

"Nii-sama and I had a disagreement over what to do about my pregnancy," she said as she wrapped her arms protectively around her growing bump. "He wanted me to get rid of them so that I wouldn't put myself at risk."

"He what!?!" Ichigo shouted as he stood up suddenly, clearly upset at the thought of anyone wanting to harm his children. Once he was standing, he looked as if he was going to storm out of the room and start kicking some ass, but Rukia saw him pause as another thought crossed his mind. He looked down at her with comprehension slowly dawning across his face.

"Rukia, just how dangerous is this pregnancy for you?" he asked as he looked down intently at her face.

She sighed and turned to look out the window by his bed to avoid his scrutiny. She debated for a moment as to whether or not she should tell him the truth now, but decided that it would be best if she just got it over with.

_I guess I have no choice but to tell him, _she thought with resignation. _He needs to know and besides, if I don't survive I don't want to hurt him more by leaving him unprepared._

"Captain Unohana said that we probably wouldn't survive past the seventh month even if I had my reiatsu removed," she told him with her back pointed toward him. For some reason, she couldn't bear to be looking at his face while she told him this. "It would be too soon for the babies to be born and I would probably die from the strain their reiatsu would be placing on me."

Rukia felt Ichigo go still behind her as he absorbed the meaning of her words. The only thing that let her know that he was still there was his breathing.

"So why, Rukia?" he finally asked, his voice so soft that it seemed to float down from where he stood behind her. "Why are you doing this?"

_Why, _she asked herself as she stared at the peaceful town outside Ichigo's window. _Why am I risking myself for just a chance of saving them?_

"Because I refuse to kill anyone I care about ever again, Ichigo," she replied with quiet determination. "I love them, and I will protect them with my life. I'm going to make sure they're given a chance to live. I don't care if everyone else says it's impossible because I know that I'm strong enough to do this."

_Even though nobody else believes me, _she thought sadly as she waited for Ichigo to answer. Rukia thought of her brother, Captain Unohana, and everyone else in the Soul Society who had come to convince her to change her mind. _I believe in my heart that I can do this. Do you, Ichigo?_

Ichigo stood silently behind her for what felt like an eternity, but after a while he moved forward and wrapped his strong arms around her, placing his hands so that they crossed in front of her stomach. He tucked his head into its usual place between her shoulder and her neck then pulled her close to him.

"If you say that you're strong enough to do this then I'll believe you," he whispered next to her ear, his breath was warm and comforting against her skin. "If you say that you will protect our child then I have faith that you can do it, and damn anyone who says anything different."

Rukia felt tears of gratitude well up and spill over her cheeks at Ichigo's words. She grasped Ichigo's hands where they crossed in front of her stomach and felt the wetness of her tears on them.

"Thank you, Ichigo," she whispered as her tears continued to fall silently while she was in the safety of his arms. This was the first time in months that she finally felt like she was whole, and the tension she had been feeling for the past two months eased inside of her. They stayed like that for a while, but Ichigo eventually let her go. Once Rukia felt his arms loosen she turned around to face him. Ichigo raised his hand to her face and gently wiped away her tears.

"So is the Soul Society going to be coming after you again?" he asked, his brow furrowed with concern. "You must have run away if Byakuya wasn't going to let you keep the baby."

"I don't think the Soul Society itself will be coming after me because according to the latest report Urahara received from Yoruichi, Central 46 has determined that it was not worth the risk to send a retrieval party after me. It would cause too much damage to the barrier and they don't want to distract the other Shinigami that are here from their duties," she explained, remembering her relief at the news. "The most important thing is that the two worlds remain stable and having a bunch of activity to retrieve a person whom everyone believes is going to die anyway just doesn't make sense."

"Okay, so if you don't think the Soul Society is going to come after you then what are you worried about?" he asked.

"Nii-sama…," she said tensely, her mind churning with concern about what her brother might do. "I was hoping that he wouldn't be able to come after me once I was in the human world, but according to that same report that Yoruichi gave Urahara, he's been calling in favors and using whatever influence the House of Kuchiki has to get permission to come to the human world and look for me."

"That doesn't sound like him," Ichigo said, sounding very puzzled. "I thought Byakuya was like Mr. Tight Ass about breaking the laws and going against the system."

"Well, he hasn't stormed into the human world without permission so I don't think he's that far gone yet, but part of me just doesn't know how far he'll go, Ichigo," she responded, feeling uneasy about her brother's change in behavior. "I never thought that he would ever go this far for me."

"So if he was this worried about you, how did you manage to get away?" Ichigo asked as he shifted so that he was able to lean his back against the wall. He pulled Rukia along with him and had her nestle against his chest before she continued. Once she was comfortable she told him about the night she escaped, one month ago.

_____

_Ruikia had finally made it to the back of Kuchiki manor where the family senkaimon stood. She could just barely make out the shape of the two unconscious guards lying in a heap near the doors. A small black cat sat beside her, its tail swishing silently back and forth. It was nearly invisible in the thick darkness of the night. The only thing that could be clearly seen was its two anxious yellow eyes._

"_Hurry Kuchiki," the cat said to her as it glanced around in the darkness. "We don't know how long we have before anyone notices that you're gone."_

"_Thank you, Yoruichi," Rukia said breathlessly as she forced her body to take the last few steps separating her and the gate. She had managed to get here fairly quickly, but had used almost all her energy to do it. "I'll never forget how you helped me tonight."_

"_Don't worry about it," Yoruichi replied as her yellow eyes continued looking anxiously into the surrounding darkness. "Kisuke and I owed you at least this much for hiding the Hougyoku in your soul without your permission."_

_Rukia smiled slightly at that but couldn't say anything else as she struggled to force her exhausted body to reach her escape route to the human world._

I'm almost there,_ she thought as she lifted her lead feet one more step toward the gate. She rubbed her stomach lovingly as she slowly made her way closer to their freedom. _We'll be safe soon.

_But as soon as the thought flitted through her mind she heard the one voice she had dreaded the most, speak behind her._

"_Rukia," her brother said with deadly calm behind her. "Where do you think you are going?"_

No, _she thought as her heart fluttered in her chest with panic. _ I was so close…

"_Nii-sama…," she said as she turned to face him, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled to remain standing._

He must have suspected, _she realized. _I knew that this was too easy. He knows me better than that. He's smarter than that.

"_I think it is time for you to return to bed, Rukia," he said with absolutely no expression, his face unreadable in the darkness. The only thing she could see clearly was his white haori blowing around him in the dim moonlight. "You are not well."_

"_No, Nii-sama," she gasped out as she slowly edged her way closer to the doors. She probably wouldn't make it, but she still had to try. "We're leaving and nothing you say is going to change that."_

_As soon as those words were past her lips, her brother disappeared from her line of sight. Her breath quickened with panic as she turned her head just in time to see him appear behind her, blocking her path to the gate. His arms reached out to pick her up and forcibly carry her back to her room, but as he reached his hands out to her a dark liquid dripped down on to his face. Byakuya paused and reached up to touch the liquid with his fingertips, but just as he reached it his eyes closed and he crumpled to the floor._

"_Hurry," Yoruichi repeated after she dropped a tiny bottle out of her mouth. "I had to use the rest of the bottle on Byakuya-bo and I don't have any more if someone else comes along."_

"_What did you do to him?" Rukia asked worriedly as she bent down to check on him. She just wanted to get away from her brother, not kill him._

"_Don't worry," Yoruichi reassured her as she nudged Rukia toward the gate to get her moving again. "It's only shinten. He'll be awake soon enough."_

______

"So isn't Yoruichi in trouble for helping you escape?" Ichigo asked as Rukia finished her story.

Rukia shook her head. "As far as I know, nobody is aware of her involvement with my escape. Yoruichi was in her cat form the whole time she was helping me and she's practically undetectable then. Besides, she was the former captain of the Stealth Force so it was easy for her to remain hidden."

Ichigo remained quiet for a while after that and Rukia sat silently to give him some time to take in all the information. He finally turned his body so that he could look into her face.

"Okay, Rukia, I think I've been following this so far, but there's only one thing that's really been bugging me," he said as he grasped her chin gently, but firmly, between his fingers and tilted her face so that she was staring in to his intense brown eyes. "If you've been here for a month already, why the hell are you only telling me all this now?"

"It couldn't be helped," she responded a little impatiently. Out of all the things she had expected him to ask that hadn't been one of them. "I had to spend the first couple of weeks in Urahara's lab while he removed my reiatsu and helped me sync with the gigai."

"And after that?" he asked relentlessly. "Why didn't you come and tell me?"

Rukia felt strangely frustrated with his persistence. She couldn't explain why she was having a hard time telling him the truth, but part of her was reluctant to share her feelings of concern with him. When she finally spoke it was almost as if the words were being dragged out of her.

"I was worried about you and your family," she replied as she pulled her face out of his grasp so that she could look away. "I didn't want to see any of you hurt or in trouble because of me."

"You little idiot," he scolded her as he grabbed her and turned her back around face him. "You're pissing me off with this attitude of yours. When are you going to realize that you're a part of my family now and anything that hurts you, hurts me too, so stop trying to do everything by yourself, okay?"

He gave her a very gentle shake as he continued. "Believe in me Rukia, just like how I believe in you. I'll protect you and everyone else so stop worrying already."

Rukia's heart was full of happiness at Ichigo's words of support. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest.

_I knew that was exactly what he would say, _she thought happily.

"I hope the twins turn out exactly like you, Ichigo," she said out loud. She felt a small smile of admiration for him appear on her face but she hid it against his shirt. When she looked back up to his face she noticed that he seemed startled as he slowly looked back down at her.

"Twins?" he said dazedly. "We're having twins?"

"What? You only realized that now?" Rukia asked in surprise. "I've been saying 'they, them, babies' ever since we got here you moron!"

"Well, how am I supposed to know from something that subtle!" he retorted angrily at her. "You didn't actually say twins until this very moment!"

Rukia massaged the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration.

_I take back what I said, _she thought tiredly. _They just better have my brains or we're all going to be in trouble when they grow up._

* * *

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! I always appreciate it!_

_This chapter was a little hard. I rewrote it several times because characters started to get really OOC and I was boring myself while I wrote it._

_Took out gobs of information which I will work into the next chapter._

_Thanks again!  
_


	9. Chapter 9: Questions

_Thanks for reading and the reviews! This is a two for one special because Chapter 9 ended up being split into two._

_Disclaimer: Bleach is mine! All mine! Bwahahahahaha! - Oh, wait... Sorry , I think I hit my head and got possessed by Don Kanonji_. _Aw, crap! Bleach is still not mine!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Questions**

Ichigo sat at his desk trying to do some homework while Rukia slept in his bed. After their long talk he noticed that Rukia had started to nod off so he insisted that she lie down. She had resisted at first, but the many anxious days of worry finally caught up with her and now she was sound asleep.

_She looks so angelic in her sleep, _he thought fondly as he turned to look at her sleeping face. _You would never know what a bossy, little munchkin she is._

Almost as if Rukia were responding to his not so flattering thoughts, she rolled towards him in her sleep. Her right hand slipped out from the blanket that Ichigo had covered her with and dangled limply over the side of the bed. A glint of light caught his eye and he saw an unusual bracelet clasped tightly around her wrist.

_Why didn't I notice that earlier? _Ichigo wondered to himself as he gently grasped Rukia's hand and lifted it towards his face so that he could inspect the bracelet a little better. _I've never seen her with it before and I'm pretty sure I'd remember something this beautiful._

Ichigo studied the intricately wrought design of the bracelet. It was about two inches wide and was formed from a pattern of tiny interlocking snowflakes. The metal looked like silver with a light covering of frost over it. Ichigo felt like if he just wiped away the white, misty covering on top he would reveal the true silver coloring underneath.

I _would have thought that something like this wouldn't shine at all_, he thought in wonder as he lowered Rukia's hand back toward the bed. _But it glitters as if there are flecks of ice crystals embedded into it._

After he tucked her arm back under the blanket, he started to turn back toward his homework, but another glint of light from Rukia's throat drew his attention. Ichigo reached over and carefully brushed Rukia's hair back from her neck to reveal a matching necklace shining softly against her smooth skin. The chain was made up of the same snowflakes as the bracelet but they were linked together to form a delicate rope. In the middle was a pendant that looked like an eight pointed star.

_Where did Rukia get these? _Ichigo wondered as he reached his hand out to pick up the pendant and take a closer look at it.

________

_Earlier that same day at Urahara Shoten…_

Isshin Kurosaki was sitting on the floor in Kisuke Urahara's living room. The table in front of them held two cups of cold tea along with a plate of snacks. Nothing looked like it had been touched even though Isshin had been sitting with Urahara for a few hours.

"Her Zanpakutou split in two?" Isshin Kurosaki asked in confusion, his normally comedic face set into serious lines. This was the first time he had spoken since Urahara had begun to share with him the details of Rukia's pregnancy. "What did you do to make it do that?"

"Nothing," Urahara responded, his arms were crossed in front of him as he looked at Isshin with a slight frown on his face. "I performed the same procedure that I've always done. I placed her Zanpakutou into the container formed out of densely packed reishi and at first it retained the shape of her normal Zanpakutou. When I combined it with her reiatsu it split into a bracelet and a necklace that seemed to reflect the elemental nature of Sode no Shirayuki."

Isshin sat quietly while he scratched absently at the stubble on his face. He was thinking hard about what could have caused Rukia's Zanpakutou to divide itself. Uruhara had tried to preserve a Shinigami's Zanpakutou before by placing it in a specially made physical container and then combining it with the owner's reiatsu, but as far as Isshin knew Uruhara had never actually succeeded. The volunteers had always only given a portion of their reiatsu and their Zanpakutous would look & function normally, but it would always only last until the Shinigami's death and then the Zanpakutou would dissolve into nothingness.

_Why would it split, _Isshin wondered with concern. _The others he had tried to preserve remained unchanged when he combined them together. _

"So what do you think caused it?" Isshin asked aloud, looking into Urahara's face. He wasn't sure how much information Urahara would have because he knew that this was one of his lower priority projects. Despite that, Isshin still needed to find out as much as he could so that he could be prepared for whatever might happen.

Urahara sat quietly for a moment with his eyes closed as he thought of an answer. He tipped his head down so that his eyes were hidden by the brim of his hat. After several moments, he finally looked up at Isshin from under his hat and said, "I think it's because of the twins."

"The twins?" Isshin asked as he gave Urahara an intense look that seemed to mirror his son's usual expression. "What do Ichigo and Rukia-chan's twins have to do with it?"

"The twin's reiatsu was mixing with their mother's for four months before she finally came to me," he explained as he uncrossed his arms and started to tap his fan against his leg. "So I don't think her reiatsu was wholly her own anymore at that point. I think that the children's reiatsu, mixed with hers, probably caused it to react that way."

"But why did it change into a bracelet and a necklace?" Isshin asked as he picked up the cup of cold tea in front of him and took a sip. He seemed to be doing it more out of habit than because of any need to have a drink. "A Zanpakutou is a weapon and it doesn't make sense that it would change into something like that."

"That's the most interesting part that I'm still trying to figure out," Kisuke responded with another frown, his inner frustration reflecting on his face. "Maybe it took that form because Sode no Shirayuki knew that Miss Kuchiki wouldn't be able to carry her around as a Zanpakutou. Or maybe her reiatsu just needed to stay close to its original source. There are a lot of possibilities and I just can't figure out which one is the most likely."

"So you're basically saying that we don't know anything," Isshin replied with a small smile at the novel idea that Uruhara had no clue as to what was going on.

"That's a little harsh," Urahara replied with a hurt puppy dog look, but his face almost immediately returned to its former seriousness. "I'm just saying that we have a lot of options to choose from. The only thing I do know is that this probably has more to do with her Zanpakutou's will rather than any conscious decision by Miss Kuchiki."

"So it sounds like you basically think that everything was Sode no Shirayuki's doing?" Isshin asked as he crossed his arms in front of him again. He felt that Uruhara could be right, but short of having Sode no Shirayuki materialize and tell them upfront there was no way to know for sure.

"Yes," Urahara answered as his hand moved to touch his cane which lay on the floor by his side. Isshin knew that it was actually Urahara's Zanpakutou, Benihime. Urahara seemed to be touching it to reassure himself about something. "All Zanpakutous have a mind and personality of their own, so it's plausible that Sode no Shirayuki excersised her will and chose the form she wanted to be in."

_As if this situation wasn't complicated enough, _Isshin thought tiredly as he massaged the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension that had been building there. _Those two seem to have the damndest luck in having strange things happen to them._

"By the way, Sode no Shirayuki also seems to have decided that she will stay next to Miss Kuchiki at all times," Urahara continued after a brief silence. "It seems as if she has attached herself permanently to Miss Kuchiki's body."

"What do you mean by, 'attached herself permanently'," Isshin asked as he lowered his arm back to his side.

"It's not melded into her skin or anything like that, but Sode no Shirayuki won't allow herself be removed from Miss Kuchiki's body," Urahara clarified as he reached for his tea. He wrapped his fingers around the cup but didn't actually take a drink. "I asked her to take it off so that I could examine it closer and we discovered that there were no clasps she could use to take off the bracelet or the necklace. The bracelet is fitted very snugly to her wrist, and when she tried to take the necklace off it simply seemed to change size so that it wouldn't fit over her head."

"Do you think it will still be able to function as a regular Zanpakutou?" Isshin asked as he placed both hands on his crossed legs and leaned forward. "Its shape has changed so drastically that it may be useless now."

"That's a good question, but I don't really know," Urahara answered. "Miss Kuchiki is unable to use her powers as a Shinigami because all her powers are sealed in her Zanpakutou. She has no direct access to the power in there and I'm not sure what would happen if she tried to utilize the children's reiatsu as if it were her own. I actually warned her against it because I wasn't sure if it would cause trauma to them."

Isshin sighed and scratched the back of his head. He hated these serious conversations, but he knew that they were a necessary part of his life. He preferred to be the goofball father he played for his family, but knew that this was not the time for that. He had been alive for too long to be stupid enough to allow his personal preferences interfere with what had to be done.

"I think I know enough now to have a proper grasp of the situation, but why did you decide to ask me here and tell me all this?" Isshin asked as he rose from the floor to take his leave. "I know my stupid son would have told me everything once Rukia-chan let him know."

"Miss Kuchiki needed quite a bit of 'encouragement' to get her to tell your son about the twins at all," he replied as he snapped open his white fan and covered the lower half of his face. His eyes were hidden under the brim of his floppy hat. "Besides, she's not going to be able to deliver in a normal hospital because of all the extra protection she's going to need from the Hollows that will appear when she gives birth. I just wanted to be sure you had all the details so you could be prepared."

Isshin looked at Urahara closely one last time before he finished standing and turned toward the doors.

"There's something else you're not telling me, Urahara," Isshin responded as he stretched a little and made his way to the sliding doors. "I can always tell when you're hiding something, but that's fine for now because I know you have your reasons for keeping secrets. Besides, I think you've given me what I need to take care of everything on my side."

"Are you going to share everything I've told you with them?" Urahara asked just as Isshin reached the sliding doors to leave the room.

"Are you kidding?" Isshin scoffed with a little chuckle. "If I had this type of conversation with them I might shock Rukia-chan into early labor and Ichigo would die of a heart attack. I'll just do what I always do and make sure everything is ready when the time comes."

Then Isshin Kurosaki opened the sliding doors and left Urahara Shoten to deal with the problems waiting for him at home.

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_Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_Just as a warning there might be spots of OOCness popping up in the next chapter so please forgive me!_

_I appreciate all the reviews! It really keeps me striving to get better.  
_


	10. Chapter 10: Family

_Disclaimer: See previous chapter!_

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**Chapter 10: Family**

"Nii-chan," Yuzu's voice called from below. "We're home!"

Ichigo startled at Yuzu's voice and his hand fell away from the necklace a fraction of a second before he touched it. He looked at his wristwatch and realized that it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon.

_How did it get to be so late? _He wondered as he stood up from his chair and stretched. _I better wake Rukia and bring her down so that we can let the rest of the family know. I just hope the old man doesn't get too excited over the news._

"Rukia," Ichigo said as he reached over and shook her gently. Rukia stirred a little but didn't get up.

"Oi. Rukia," Ichigo called out a bit louder as he shook her a little harder. "It's time to get up. I think everyone is home."

Rukia mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and rolled over in response. Ichigo sighed and scratched the back of his head in frustration.

_I guess I'll have to tell them myself, _he thought in resignation. _I don't want to be any rougher with her since she's pregnant._

"Ichi-nii," he heard Karin call from downstairs. "Are you home? Yuzu is getting dinner ready and I need your help with something."

"I'm here," he shouted back to her. "I'll be right down."

Ichigo looked down again at Rukia to see if she had stirred at the sound of his voice, but she was still deeply asleep.

_I've never known her to sleep so soundly, _he worried a little as he gazed at her still form. _I guess she must really be tired from everything that's been happening._

He tucked the blankets back around her and started toward the door to go downstairs where his younger sisters were waiting. As he left his room, he closed the door quietly behind him so that they wouldn't disturb Rukia. He headed down the stairs and almost ran over Karin who had probably come up to find out what was taking him so long.

"Ichi-nii," she said in exasperation as he banged into her. She had to adjust her balance as the boxes she was carrying started to wobble. "Why don't you pay attention to where you're going?"

"Sorry, Karin," he said as he took the boxes from her. "Is this what you needed my help for?"

He struggled a little at the initial weight of the boxes. He couldn't believe his little sister had carried these all the way up here.

_But I guess she's not really so little anymore, _he mused to himself as he paused to take a good look at Karin. She had grown tall in the past couple of years and now the top of her head reached a little past his shoulders. Despite the tomboyish clothes she still wore Ichigo could tell that she was actually developing some mature curves. _I guess we're all growing up._

"Ichi-nii – Ichi-nii!" Karin called out loudly to him as she waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you doing, spacing out like that? I asked you to put these in Dad's room."

"Sorry, Karin," Ichigo apologized again as he walked over to his Father's room at the other end of the hall. He went to the dresser and placed the boxes on the floor next to it. "I guess I'm just a little out of it today."

"That's for sure, Ichi-nii," she said as she rolled her eyes at him, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "You ran out on a Sunday morning to go to school. How lost can you be? It's something I would've expected our stupid Dad to do when he was younger."

_It's Sunday? _Ichigo thought to himself incredulously as his brow furrowed further in disgust with himself. _I can't believe I set my alarm on a Sunday! If I turn into a psycho like him I'm going to have to have Rukia kill me before the kids are born._

Just then the psycho in question shouted out a greeting from downstairs.

"I'm home, everyone!" Isshin cried out enthusiastically as he slammed the front door. "Did everyone miss their favorite Father?"

Karin and Ichigo stared at each other with looks of intense concentration. It was almost as if they were trying to communicate with each other telepathically.

_Shhh! _Karin's eyes seemed to say. _Maybe if we stay quiet the perverted psycho downstairs won't find us!_

Ichigo nodded his agreement to the message in her eyes, forgetting for a moment that he had something important to tell the psycho along with the rest of his family. He and Karin started to move stealthily toward their rooms in hopes of getting into them and locking their doors before Isshin came upstairs. They had both gotten to the stairs near Ichigo's room when Isshin suddenly made a flying leap in front of them.

"Ichigooooo!" Isshin cried out as he landed in front of them. He lifted up his arm and pointed an accusing finger at Ichigo. "I expected this type of sneaky behavior from you, but now you've gone and corrupted my darling Karin!"

Ichigo and Karin backed away from him as if he were a dangerous snake that was about to strike. They both raised their hands in a defensive posture and waited for Isshin's next move.

"Oh, what is a loving father to do!" Isshin cried out dramatically as he launched himself forward to gather up Karin in his arms for a hug. "Don't worry Karin! Daddy forgives you!"

"Forget it, you stupid old man!" Karin yelled as she moved to the side and kicked her father's head so hard that he went flying into Ichigo's bedroom door. "Go find someone else to molest!"

Karin was breathing hard with anger and took a breath to berate Isshin further but she stopped in mid rant as Ichigo's door opened and revealed Rukia behind it.

"What's with all the noise?" Rukia asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. Ichigo frowned at her in concern when he realized that she still looked exhausted despite her long nap.

"Rukia Onee-san!" Karin cried out happily as she stomped on to her father's back to get to Rukia. Isshin grunted loudly at the impact, and tears began pouring out of his eye at Karin's callous behavior toward him. "When did you get here? I thought you weren't going to be able to return to the human world!"

This was an unusually enthusiastic reaction for Karin, but she and Rukia had gotten close when Karin's Shinigami powers had suddenly manifested themselves a couple of years ago. Rukia had mentored his sister in between battles and had been training her right up until Rukia had been forced to stay in the Soul Society. Karin, unlike Ichigo, had shown a definite talent for kidou and had relied on Rukia to show her the ropes. Their father had, of course, offered to help, but had immediately had the idea beaten out of him by Karin.

Rukia smiled with equal happiness at Karin, but before Rukia could answer, Yuzu's voice called out from below them.

"What are you all doing up there?" she asked from the foot of the stairs. "Everyone come and eat, dinner is ready."

"Move it, old man!" Karin shouted as she kicked their father's crumpled form out of her way and grabbed Rukia's hand.

"Come on, Onee-san!" she said almost as enthusiastically as Isshin would. At that moment she sounded exactly like her twin sister. "Yuzu will be so happy that you're here."

And with that, Karin pulled a rather startled looking Rukia downstairs.

_Well, that was a nice change, _Ichigo thought to himself as he turned to follow them down. _It's kind of weird, but I think I like it when Karin looks so happy._

_________

_At that same time at Urahara Shoten…_

Tessai Tsukabishi walked in with a steaming cup of tea for Urahara who was still sitting at his table in his living room. It didn't seem as if he had moved from that spot since Isshin Kurosaki had left earlier that day.

"Tenchou," Tessai said as he sat down next to Urahara. "How did the conversation with Mr. Kurosaki go?"

Urahara's face remained serious as he gazed at the steam rising from his cup. He thought about everything that had happened since Rukia Kuchiki had relayed her request to him through Yoruichi.

_So many questions, _he thought. _And unfortunately,_ _I don't know where to start to find the answers._

Uruhara felt a bit unnerved at his total lack of understanding with the situation. There was usually nothing that could stump him for long if he put his mind to it, but even having Rukia Kuchiki in his lab for two weeks had done nothing to answer the questions in his mind. Her twin's reiatsu had been nearing a Captain's level by the time she had gotten here so with her own added in, it must have felt like she was moving through cement.

_I have to admit that I was greatly impressed, _he thought. _I don't even think that some of the current Captain's could have repressed all that reiatsu and still have kept moving._

Urahara was quite sure that the twin's powers stemmed from their father's side, but he wondered if the Hougyoku he had hidden inside of Rukia Kuchiki's soul had anything to do with it also. It may have been sealed, but such close contact with it could have had unpredictable results.

_It's probably not the case, _he thought, in an effort to reassure himself, but it felt too much like a lie. He wondered what type of children would be born from a human Vizard cross and a Shinigami that might be carrying a part of the Hougyoku's power within her.

_I just hope they don't turn out to be the monsters it sounds like they could be_, he thought with quiet seriousness. _I still have a few more months to figure this out and make sure that everyone survives in one piece._

"Tenchou?" Tessai prompted him when Uruhara remained silent for too long.

"I'm sorry, Tessai," Urahara responded as he turned to look at Tessai with a small smile. "Everything went fine. Isshin is still as sharp as ever, so I think we've prepared them as much as we possibly can for what's to come."

________

_Downstairs in the Kurosaki kitchen…_

"Oh, Masaki!" Isshin Kurosaki cried joyously as he hugged his late wife's memorial poster. "We're not having one, but two grandchildren at the same time! I'm so happy this day has finally come!"

Ichigo looked at his father in disgust as Isshin continued to babble similar nonsense to his late wife's picture while tears flowed down his face. Ichigo turned his back on his old man and faced the sane members of his family, who were also pointedly ignoring their father's wails of joy.

He and Rukia had already explained the situation to Karin and Yuzu, but despite many of the grim facts that they had presented, Karin and Yuzu seemed to share Ichigo's faith in Rukia's decision and her strength.

"So do you know if they're going to be boys or girls?" Yuzu asked happily as she leaned toward Rukia who was sitting across the table from her.

"It's both actually," Rukia answered as she clasped her hands over her stomach. "Uruhara was able to let me know just before I left his lab."

_I'm going to have a son and a daughter, _Ichigo thought dazedly as he paused between bites of his dinner, some of his old shock from earlier returning. _Rukia didn't tell me before and it never occurred to me to ask._

"Did you think of any names for them yet?" Karin asked as she somehow managed to eat and gesture in the direction of Isshin, who was still caught up in babbling to their mother's smiling picture on the wall. "You better hurry and pick something before Dad gets a chance to plug something ridiculous."

"There are two names that I really like," Rukia said a little shyly. She seemed oddly embarrassed about sharing it with them. "But I didn't get a chance to talk it over with Ichigo yet."

"I'll be fine with anything," he mumbled as he continued to eat his dinner. He had just gotten used to the thought that he was having kids, naming them was the furthest thing from his mind right now.

_Wait a minute, _he thought as he put his food down. He shot a quick glare at Rukia as a list of potential names Rukia might come up with scrolled through his mind.

"Just as long as you're not planning to name them something like Chappy or Pyon or something equally stupid like that," he growled at her.

In response, Rukia merely shot her left arm out and punched Ichigo hard in the shoulder without saying a word. He grabbed his injured arm and prepared to snap at Rukia, but he stopped when he felt waves of angry energy beating against his back.

"Ichigoooo," he heard his father say in a threatening voice behind him. It sounded like something you might hear in a really bad horror flick. "Are you upsetting my daughter and my grandchildren?"

Ichigo turned slowly around to face his father whose face had the look of a murderer from a really bad slasher movie.

_I knew that this news would turn him crazier than he already is! _Ichigo thought in alarm as he slid back from his father with a nervous laugh.

"No, not at all Dad," Ichigo replied with a nervous smile. His father was actually scaring him with the crazed look he had in his eyes.

Rukia sighed next to him and came to his rescue. She placed her bowl down and Ichigo could tell by her demeanor that she was readying her acting skills. She turned what Ichigo called "her sparkly face" toward Isshin.

"Oh no, Father," she said in an overly sweet voice. Ichigo could practically see hearts and flowers popping up around her as she turned up the charm for his old man. "Ichigo was not doing anything like that. He was just telling me how happy he'd be with a name like Chappy or Apple or even Banana for our little ones, especially since he's a strawberry." She covered her mouth with her fingertips and gave a little giggle while she shot an impish look at Ichigo. "You know how silly he can be!"

"Why you little…," Ichigo started to whisper murderously at her. He had just enough time to catch a glimpse of her smirk as Isshin suddenly leaped in front of him and shoved him hard enough that he flew into the wall. Isshin moved into the space Ichigo had just occupied and clasped both of Rukia's hands in his and clutched them to his chest.

"Don't worry, Rukia-chan!" Isshin shouted as he pulled her close to him. "I won't let my idiot son name my grandchildren anything like that. Pappy is here for you!"

Karin was finally prompted into action when Isshin grabbed Rukia. She leaned over the table and punched him hard enough in the face to send him flying into the kitchen.

"Stop trying to molest everyone, you old pervert!" she shouted as she stomped over to Isshin and started pounding him into the floor.

Ichigo picked himself up off the floor and saw Yuzu simply shake her head and sigh at all the action going on around the kitchen table. He was about to go after his old man too, but just then, he saw Yuzu turn back toward Rukia and asked her Karin's question again, "So what did you decide to name them, Onee-chan?"

"Isamu for the boy and Masumi for the girl," Rukia said as she placed her hands on her swelling middle. Ichigo paused as he took in the sight of the gently smiling Rukia rubbing her stomach lovingly.

_I don't think I've ever seen her look so open and happy, _he thought as he walked back to the table.

"Courageous and true purity, huh?" Ichigo said as he came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Rukia looked up at him and nodded in response to his question. He was taken aback by the look of pure joy that he saw radiating from her face, but it triggered a feeling of contentment deep in his soul.

_Everyone in my family is here, _he realized as he looked up from Rukia's glowing face to take in the warm room around him. Karin was chasing their Father around the room as Isshin cried about how cruel she was to him. Yuzu was chattering happily about how perfect those names were and making plans with Rukia to go shopping. The room was filled with warmth, laughter and love. Ichigo looked over to his mother's picture on the wall and a small smile appeared on his face.

_I hope you can see us all, Mom. I know that you would be so happy to see us this way. _

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_Thank you to everyone who is following this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_


	11. Chapter 11: Waiting

_Disclaimer: Sadly, Bleach will never be mine._

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**Chapter 11: Waiting**

If anyone had passed by and looked into Byakuya Kuchiki's office, they would see him simply sitting calmly at his desk finishing his work. It was the picture of perfect normalcy and you would never be able to tell that underneath that cool, unruffled exterior Byakuya was absolutely livid. Ever since Rukia had escaped to the human world, about one month ago, Byakuya had encountered obstacle after obstacle in trying to get permission to go to there to search for her. The elders in the Kuchiki family had been the most annoying deterrent to his efforts. They had never been happy with his decision to adopt Rukia as his sister, and the idea that she would be the next heir to the family, if anything should happen to Byakuya, had always ate away at their souls. They all seemed quite relieved to have her disposed of so neatly.

_I have to find a way around those old fools,_ he thought angrily as he finished the last touches to the petition he was writing. He had spent almost every day in his office in Squad 6's barracks doing this same activity over and over again. When he wasn't writing, he was busy going from official to official to try to convince them in person that Rukia was still alive and needed to be found. _It has been a month since she left, and_ s_he will not last much longer if I do not hurry and rescue her._

Once he was done with what seemed like his 100th request to go look for Rukia, Byakuya laid his brush on to its stand and carefully began folding it. He had thought that using his influence with the new council members of Central 46 would help him supersede the family elders, but they had their own reasons for being hesitant in granting his request. They had been concerned that if normal travel with lower ranking Shinigami could cause further damage to the barrier, then someone with Byakuya's level of reiatsu would be even more dangerous to the stability of the two worlds.

_They are all fools; _he fumed further as he sealed the petition. _I am perfectly capable of keeping my own reiatsu under control, but they are so afraid of something happening that they are being overly cautious._

Byakuya had also argued that his reiatsu would be suppressed by the limiters all Captain and Lieutenant ranked Shinigami had to wear in the human world, but Central 46 was afraid that it would not be enough protection, so Byakuya had made a special request to Squad 12 to develop a gigai that would keep his reiatsu suppressed completely without any effort on his part. He hoped that this solution would take care of the last of the arguments coming out of Central 46.

_Damn, Mayuri also, _Byakuya seethed silently under his cold, calm mask, his hand gripping the paper there a little tighter. He felt his anger rise as he remembered the useless argument he had with the cold, pompous Captain of Squad 12 about the length of time he had been quoted. That man was so absorbed in conducting his own agenda that unless it was a direct order, everything else got ignored. _I know that Squad 12 is busy repairing the barrier, but I also know that something so simple should not take him over a month to complete. He's being perversely unreasonable because he knows I have no other choice, but to rely on him._

Byakuya finished preparing his letter, and arose calmly from his desk to personally deliver his petition to Central 46. This one requested special permission for his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, and himself, to go to the human world to look for Rukia.

_I hope that this will be the last one that I will have to write, _he thought a little wearily as he left his office.

On the outside, Byakuya hoped that he still seemed unchanged and unemotional about losing his sister, but he knew that his cool front was a farce. His volatile feelings of frustration, anger and concern boiled inside of him, and left his façade of impenetrable self control weak and unstable. He felt that the slightest thing could cause this brittle shell to shatter, and all the emotions he had managed to keep carefully hidden this past month would overwhelm him.

_I have to get to her, _he thought urgently as he strode purposefully through Squad 6's barracks. _Captain Unohana gave her up to seven months to survive if she had her reiatsu removed. I have to find her before then and fix my mistakes from that night._

Byakuya had suspected that Rukia would try to escape when she had her sudden change of heart concerning the twins. He had made it seem as if he believed her so that he could lull her into a false sense of security, and he could try to catch whoever else must be helping her. Sure enough, a couple of days after she had told him her decision she had tried to escape to the human world through the Kuchiki family senkaimon. He knew that she couldn't have carried out her escape plans all by herself because of the condition she was in, but he had not been able to detect anyone else's reiatsu besides Rukia's. He also did not see anyone with her when he finally confronted her at the gate.

_I know _that woman_ had to have helped Rukia; _he thought irately, he hardly ever referred to Shihouin Yoruichi by name. She had been the bane of his existence as a child and it seemed like she was determined to be a thorn in his side even now. _I cannot think of anyone else who could have hidden so completely from me, that they could get close enough to use shinten._

He felt a twinge of embarrassment at the memory impinge into the haze of anger and frustration he had been surrounded by since Rukia's disappearance. It disturbed him that he had been taken out so easily by the anesthetic that Squad 4 used. He had later learned that it had taken the whole bottle to render him unconscious, but that did not ease the shame he felt at being caught so completely unawares by such a tactic.

_Rukia might have not succeeded in escaping if I had just brought one other person with me, _he thought with a feeling of disgust for himself. He had decided to go alone because he didn't want any news of her disobedience to leak out. He had been worried about what type of disciplinary actions she might have faced if she had been caught trying to make an unauthorized trip to the human world. _I should have brought Renji, I know that I could have trusted him, but I was so sure of myself. Maybe if I had let go of my pride I would not have let her escape._

Byakuya could taste the bitterness and regret for his foolishness rise and try to overwhelm him, so he paused to look up at the sky while he collected himself. Right when his gaze lifted toward the sky he noticed a Hell Butterfly fluttering above his head. It stayed there for a few moments, dancing in an elaborate pattern above his head, and then it fluttered toward a nearby wall.

_I am still making foolish mistakes, Hisana,_ b_ut I will make this one right and no one will stand in my way, _he thought as he watched the Hell Butterfly disappear from his sight. _I am bringing Renji with me this time and we will find her together. If Ichigo Kurosaki or anyone else gets in my way then I will definitely kill them to save her._

Byakuya had regained control of himself now, so he continued on to Central 46 as his thoughts whirled around the other culprits in this whole mess. He was sure that Yoruichi woman was one of the culprits, and if Yoruichi was involved then Kisuke Urahara had to be too.

_Besides, _Byakuya thought. _Who else could have aided Rukia in removing her reiatsu in the human world? He is also the only one who could hide her so completely that Squad 12's tracking equipment would be absolutely useless._

When the rest of the Soul Society had realized what Rukia had done they had immediately ordered a scan of the human world to see if they could pinpoint her location, but nothing showed up on their sensors. No trace of her reiatsu could be found and any visuals they were able to get showed nothing out of the ordinary. After searching for about a week they had given up and assumed that she had not made it to the human world.

They had also questioned Kisuke Urahara about her whereabouts, the day after she disappeared, but he had simply smiled and said that he had not seen her personally, and if anything important came up that needed the Soul Society's attention then he would alert them immediately.

_This whole thing infuriates me to no end, _he thought angrily as he reached the outer gates of Central 46. _I know that woman helped Rukia escape, and Urahara is helping her hide. If Rukia dies because of their actions, I will definitely kill them too._

_I have less than two months to get to her before it is too late, _he thought with grim determination as he walked to the entrance of Central 46. _I will make it to her in time, no matter the consequences._

____________

Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Squad 6, felt like he was going to die from exhaustion. Ever since Rukia had disappeared a month ago into the human world, he had been taking care of all the daily administration of Squad 6 while his Captain tried to get permission for them to go after her. He knew that everyone thought that Captain Kuchiki was just wasting his time because they were all quite sure that Rukia must be dead by now.

_Those stupid idiots don't know her like I do, _he thought angrily as he rushed to another squad meeting he had to conduct on behalf of his Captain. He was rushing because he had woken up late. Ever since Captain Kuchiki had begun his crusade to save Rukia, Renji spent most of his nights finishing Captain Kuchiki's paperwork as well as his own. His bright red hair streamed behind him like a red banner as he worked at putting it up into its usual ponytail. _Rukia is stubborn and strong. No way in hell, would she ever let something like this kill her off. I just wish that I had gone to see her before she ran off._

Renji, unlike many of Rukia's other close comrades, had not gone to see her to convince her to change her mind. He knew that she would never purposefully harm anyone she cared about, and she had a strange heroic streak in her when it came to protecting those she considered weaker than herself. He had spent years with her in Inuzuri during their childhood, and he had seen this protective side of her often enough to know that she would never kill her defenseless unborn children.

_I wanted to talk to Captain Kuchiki about how he was handling the situation, _he thought for the five hundred sixty sixth time since she disappeared. _But how do you tell your Captain that he's being an ass and going about this the wrong way? The answer is...you don't.  
_

Renji had also been worried about what effect his support for Rukia's decision might have on his Captain. Because, in all the time that he had known Captain Kuchiki, this was the first time he seemed to be so close to losing control. Renji had been caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, torn between supporting his childhood friend or supporting his Captain and his squad.

Since Renji had never been the brightest or most diplomatic type, walking the minefield between his two desires had driven him practically crazy. In the end, he had decided to put off seeing Rukia and help Captain Kuchiki manage the Squad so that he could take care of her. Although Captain Kuchiki never snapped or lost his temper, Renji could tell that Rukia's condition was taking a heavy toll on his Captain. His expressions and behaviors remained the same, but he always seemed to carry a heavy air of hostility and angst that followed him around like a raincloud. Anyone who got close enough to that cloud got drenched in that mass of seething frustration and anger, so many of the members of Squad 6 had taken to avoiding Captain Kuchiki altogether.

Later, Renji began to regret his decision so he had made plans to visit Rukia just before she escaped, but Captain Kuchiki had already been laying more responsibility on him by then. It was an excuse that was as lame as it was stupid, but he just hadn't had the time to go see her before she ran off.

_You stupid, little moron, _he thought as he rounded the corner to enter the meeting room. _Why do you always insist on doing these things yourself? Why don't you rely on me once in a while?_

Renji, like everyone except Captain Kuchiki, had been clueless to Rukia's escape plans. It upset him that she hadn't mentioned anything to him or asked him for help. He figured that she probably didn't want to get him into trouble.

_I guess I wouldn't have been a good choice anyway, _he begrudgingly admitted. _Asking help from someone who sees her older brother everyday would be kind of stupid._

Renji reached the front of the room and turned to face the other members of his Squad.

"Alright everyone," he called out loudly to get everyone's attention. "I'm going to be going over our training schedules for the next week, so pay attention."

"Yes, sir!" everyone chorused in unison as they respectfully stopped their chatter and turned toward him.

_______________

_Two weeks later…_

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Squad 12 Captain and head of the Department of Research and Development, sat in the darkness of his private lab. The glow of the screens in front of him cast eerie shadows across his bizarre black and white face. His yellow eyes glowed with eagerness as he reviewed the data he had been able to collect while Rukia Kuchiki had still been in the Soul Society. Captain Kurotsuchi could care less about Rukia Kuchiki's life. She was just the vessel for the two interesting specimens growing in her body, but if he wanted to get them into his lab he would have to keep her undisturbed long enough to give birth.

_This is most intriguing, _he thought excitedly to himself as he tapped one of his five inch fingernails rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. _Those two little brats in Rukia Kuchiki's womb are definitely worth my time. I'm sure I could get some interesting information from their little corpses, but I would rather have a living specimen to run my experiments on._

Behind him his Lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, approached him quietly in the darkness. She was dressed in a short shuhakusho and wore a red choker around her neck. Her long black hair was pulled into a tight braid that ran all the way to her waist. She approached him with her hands clasped in front of her as she spoke his name softly to get his attention.

"Mayuri-sama," she said meekly as she stopped a few paces behind his chair. "Captain Kuchiki is here again, requesting a status report on the special gigais that he ordered."

"Can't you do anything yourself, Nemu," he snapped at her without even turning to glance in her direction. "You know I need to stall him while I wait for my precious test subjects to get a little bigger. I can't have him interfering in their development just yet."

"I apologize, Mayuri-sama," she replied penitently, she bowed her head as she spoke. "But Captain Kuchiki is most insistent that the only thing he is waiting for is the gigais. He has finally, received permission to go to the human world."

"Hmph," he grunted in disappointment as he scratched his temple with his long nail. "I thought Central 46 would stall him a bit longer after I gave them my report about the 'dangers' of a Captain traveling through the barrier. I still need those brats to have a chance to grow a little more so that there will be more for me to test."

"But, Mayuri-sama," Nemu replied, she had a look of puzzlement on her face. "Aren't her twins dead? The reports say that Rukia Kuchiki probably died in her attempt to escape to the human world."

"Shut up, you stupid woman!" he yelled at her as he turned to glare at her. "Do you think I'm a fool?! I know what the reports said! But I know that she must still be alive because the only logical thing she could have done was go to Urahara, and I know that man will keep her alive somehow."

He turned back to his glowing monitors and waved a dismissive hand at Nemu.

"Now go and get rid of Kuchiki," he said as he turned his concentration back to studying the data on his screen. "I need him and Abarai to be able to go just in time to bring those two guinea pigs back alive. Make sure you tell him something good enough to keep him out of my hair for the next month and a half or so."

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," she replied as she bowed. Then she left the room just as silently as she came.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Things should start to pick up a little more after this chapter._

_I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!  
_


	12. Chapter 12: Solutions

_Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Solutions**

_Approximately a month and a half later…_

Ichigo walked along the dark street with a plastic convenience store bag slung over his shoulder. He had to pick up the ingredients to satisfy one of Rukia's weird pregnancy cravings and he was feeling pissed that he was doing it at two in the morning.

_Damn, Inoue for introducing Rukia to her weird ass food, _he thought in disgust as he trudged home with his bag full of dried cuttlefish, chocolate and red bean paste. _I didn't know being pregnant killed off your taste buds._

Ichigo cringed inwardly at the thought of going home to feed Rukia this garbage, but ever since she had been forced to stay off her feet and remain in almost constant bed rest, he couldn't bring himself to deny her anything. The only thing he could do to get through this was pray for the following things to happen:

A - He didn't have to make it for her. (Unfortunately, no one on the planet would sell something as disgusting as chocolate covered cuttlefish slathered with red bean paste, and she always craved something like this at two in the morning when no one else was awake.)

And

B - He didn't have to watch her eat it. (Rukia always insisted that he stay to keep her company, but Ichigo thought that she seemed to get some kind of perverse pleasure from watching his face change colors as he tried his hardest not to be sick.)

Ichigo grabbed his stomach as a feeling of nausea came over him for a moment. He just had a way too vivid memory of some of the other bizarre things Rukia had ordered him to make after Orihime Inoue had brought it over for her to try. Ever since Inoue found out about Rukia's pregnancy, she had been visiting Rukia as much as possible. She seemed absolutely ecstatic to have her friend back in the human world, especially since that friend found every dish that she brought over absolutely delicious.

_I guess I should be grateful though, _he thought as soon as the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach passed. He let go of his stomach and straightened, then he continued on his way home, a streetlight flickered as he passed directly under it. _Because of Inoue's powers and everyone else's help, we probably have a good chance to save all three of them._

Ichigo felt really grateful for the solution Urahara had come up with a couple of weeks after Rukia arrived at the Kurosaki home. He just wished that they could hurry and implement it so that Rukia could start to get better.

_______

_About a month earlier…_

"_Congratulations, Kurosaki," Urahara had said as he hid a smirk behind his white fan. They were at a small reception that was being held in honor of Ichigo & Rukia's marriage. It was in the private room of a small restaurant close to the Kurosaki Clinic. Urahara had approached him while he had been on his way to get another drink for Rukia. She had tried to do it herself, but when she had taken longer than a minute just to stand, Ichigo forced her to stay at the table while he got it. "How does it feel to be tied down and held prisoner for the rest of your life?"_

"_Shut up, you stupid hat-and-clogs," Ichigo had snarled at him, he was feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed by all the attention even though the party consisted only of his family and close friends. It also didn't help that Yuzu had insisted that he wear a suit for the occasion, it felt like the blasted thing was slowly trying to strangle him to death. "I didn't want this whole – this whole stupid wedding reception crap!"_

I just wanted that stupid old man to get the papers for us to sign_, he thought as he turned angrily away from Urahara and stomped over to the small table where the refreshments were set up. _I know he had to go through a lot of crap to get Rukia all legal and everything, but I don't think it merits putting us through this, especially since we're getting married to make **him **happy.

_Originally, Ichigo and Rukia hadn't planned on getting married until after Isamu and Masumi were born, but Isshin had insisted that he didn't want his beloved grandchildren to be born as bastards. They had refused at first, but he had cried and begged everyday for a week until Ichigo and Rukia had finally relented just to get him to shut up. They hadn't wanted an actual ceremony or anything like that, but once Yuzu found out about their marriage she had insisted that they do something special to celebrate the union. Isshin of course was all for it, and together he and Yuzu whipped up a party in a matter of days. _

"_My, my, how scary," Urahara said mockingly as he came up behind Ichigo with his fan still covering the lower half of his face. "There's no need to get so upset, especially when I have such a special wedding present for the two of you."_

"_This better not be some kind of stupid invention, Urahara," Ichigo said warily, he knew that some of things Urahara came up with were embarrassing as hell. Urahara had a twisted sense of humor and he liked to use it on Ichigo as much as possible._

"_I'm so hurt, Kurosaki," he said as he snapped his fan shut. "My inventions are never stupid. Maybe I should just keep this little present all to myself."_

"_Just spit it out already, damn it, and if not, just stop bothering me already," he said in a low, angry voice. He grabbed Rukia's glass of juice and started to head back to the table without waiting for Urahara to answer him._

"_Thanks, Ichigo," Rukia said as she took the glass from him. She looked beautiful in the simple white, floor length gown that Yuzu had found for her. The off the shoulder gown was made of a light silky material that seemed to just float around her. Her Zanpakutou was the perfect accessories to her dress. The bracelet and the pendant sparkled brilliantly in the dim lighting of the room. _

I wonder what would happen to old man Zangetsu if I ever had something like this done, _Ichigo wondered. Rukia had explained to him what had happened to her Zanpakutou the day after they had been reunited. _

_As stunning as she was, Ichigo still could not help but notice the dark circles under her eyes. In the two weeks she had been here she had slowly gotten weaker. She was still able to walk about on her own, but she got tired easily and had to rest a lot. Ichigo tried to cater to her, but the impossible little twerp seemed to get more irritable and hormonal when he was trying to be nice to her. _

_Urahara sat down at their table across from them, and almost as if he gave some kind of cue, Inoue, Ishida and Chad came to sit at their table with them._

_The day after Rukia had returned home to the human world Ichigo had contacted the rest of their group to ask for their help. Orihime Inoue and Uryuu Ishida were the easiest to get in touch with because they were going to the same school as him. Ishida was studying to be a doctor like Ichigo, so they had many of the same classes together. Inoue was studying to be an elementary school teacher, but since Ishida and Inoue were dating you basically only had to get a hold of one to contact the other. Yasutora Sado, or Chad as Ichigo called him, had been a little bit more difficult to track down because he had been out of town with his band at the time, but after a few phone calls they managed to get in touch with him._

"_Now that we're all here, I'd like to let you all know the plan for helping Miss Kuchi… err, I mean Kurosaki, and the twins out," he said as he crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. Tessai suddenly appeared out of nowhere holding a sketch book with some very Rukia-esque drawings. Ichigo started to groan, but Rukia jabbed him in his ribs slightly to shut him up. She leaned her head against his shoulder and Ichigo wrapped an arm around her so she could relax into him more._

"_As we all know she is going to have to give birth early because from my estimates the twin's reiatsu is going to outstrip her body's capabilities in about a month and a half," he explained as he pointed at the pictures in the book with his fan. Tessai sat like an immovable rock behind him and only moved to turn the pages at the appropriate times. "So we will remove the babies early and transfer them to special gigais that I've made which will protect their bodies until they are able to fully mature. Then we will have Miss Inoue reverse whatever damage was done to her body."_

"_I have a question," Ishida interrupted as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "If you have special gigais that can keep the twins safe why don't you simply put them in it now? What would be the point in risking her life unnecessarily?"_

"_Ah, that's an excellent question, Ishida," Urahara said like a teacher who was feeling extremely pleased with the class pet. "The fact is the twins are too young to control their own reiatsu, and although the gigais I've developed would keep them physically safe, it will take me over a month to set up the barriers needed to keep their reiatsu from leaking out all over the place, so for now, it's best if they stay in their mother till then." _

"_But I don't understand," Chad said in his deep quiet voice, his eyes hidden behind his long bangs. His gigantic frame seemed to take up a quarter of the table. "Don't you have barriers and gigais that suppress reiatsu already?"_

"_We do, but I don't think any of you truly appreciate what types of levels we're talking about here," Urahara responded as he tapped his fan against the side of his face. "But I guess, the only one who would know is Mrs. Kurosaki and I'm sure she hasn't shared that information with any of you."_

_Ichigo waited for Rukia's indignant response to Urahara's words, but she remained silent. He glanced quickly down to see what was wrong, and realized that she had fallen asleep. Ichigo and the rest of the family had gotten used to her sudden nap attacks, but their friends were staring at her in shock._

"_Is she alright?" Inoue asked worriedly as she started to get up from her seat to check on Rukia. Ichigo waved her back down with his free hand and adjusted his position so that Rukia was resting more comfortably against him. The first time it happened he nearly freaked, but his Dad and Urahara assured him that her body just needed the extra rest._

"_It's alright, Inoue," he said quietly so as not to disturb her, although he already knew that once Rukia was asleep it would practically take a bomb going off to wake her. "She does this every now and then. She'll wake up in a bit."_

"_Ahem!" _

_Urahara cleared his throat so loudly that everyone jumped at the sudden noise and turned to stare at him. _

"_As I was saying, the only reason you barely feel any reiatsu right now is because she is in a special gigai that was specifically made to suppress her twin's reiatsu. The twin's are also in gigais that keep their reiatsu from radiating directly out of her body and tries to limit the flow of energy between them. The reason why she is so exhausted even though the levels are still within her limits is because she is also controlling their reiatsu as best as she can. It's not her own power so she has to work harder at keeping it suppressed."_

_Urahara held up two fingers in front of him as he directed a small frown at all of them._

"_I can still feel them even with two layers of protection and their mother suppressing their reiatsu," he said as he looked at them all from under his hat. "With them shielded in two gigais that I've made specifically for this task, I should feel absolutely nothing and their mother should not have to work at all to dampen their reiatsu, but as you can see that's not the case."_

"_So what are you going to do when they are actually born?" Ishida asked. "You must have some sort of plan."_

"_I'm working on a special barrier that will be placed around the Kurosaki clinic and another one that will go around the twin's room," Urahara explained as he motioned Tessai to flip to the relevant page. "I will need the extra month and a half to set it up. These barriers are only a temporary measure. Once the twins are born then I will be better able to determine what they need to contain the power they have."_

"_So where do we come in?" Chad asked._

"_We will need everyone's help in taking care of all the Hollows that will be attracted to Isamu and Masumi's reiatsu," Urahara explained. "And we will also need Miss Inoue to help reverse the damage to Rukia once she gives birth."_

"_Isn't there anything I can do now?" Inoue asked as she stared worriedly at Rukia's unconscious form. Urahara shook his head._

"_Unless you want to reverse the twins into nonexistence then there is nothing you can do until they're born."_

______________

_Only two more weeks, _Ichigo thought to himself with relief as he continued home with Rukia's late night snack. _The twins will be born and everything should be alright._

Urahara had already finished setting up the barrier up around Rukia's room and he was almost finished setting up the second barrier around the clinic. Rukia almost never left her room anymore because the amount of reiatsu she had to deal with made it almost impossible for her to move. She could only walk with someone else's help and Ichigo could tell she hated every minute of it, but for Isamu and Masumi's sake she was willing to put up with it.

The twin's reiatsu was overflowing from Rukia's gigai despite her efforts to keep it under control. Ichigo thought that it didn't feel as strong as his, but it apparently was very tasty to the Hollows because anytime Rukia left the shielded room they started to pop up everywhere.

Since each of them lived in a different section of town they divided the areas they needed to protect by where they lived. Ichigo and Ishida had the largest sections since they could cover the most ground with their shunpo and hirenyaku.

All of a sudden Ichigo felt a familiar presence behind him just as the sound of a sword slicing through the air made him leap forward. He twisted his body as he landed to face his attacker. The bag had fallen to the ground because the handles had been cut, Rukia's food was scattered on the pavement in front of him.

"Your skills at sensing other people's reiatsu still isn't worth a damn, huh, Ichigo?" Renji remarked snidely as he rested the blade of his Zanpakutou, Zabimaru, on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to notice such a small reiatsu, Renji," Ichigo snapped back as he stood up and faced him squarely. Ichigo gripped the remains of the plastic bag in his hand tightly.

_Damn it, _he thought angrily. _Only two more weeks, and everything would have been fine!_

"What did you say, you stupid ass?" Renji snarled back at him. Ichigo could practically see a vein getting ready to burst out of Renji's forehead.

"You heard me," Ichigo spit back at him. "Or are you now deaf as well as dumb?"

"You bastard!" Renji shouted, his grip tightening around the hilt of Zabimaru. He looked ready to start a fight with Ichigo, but he seemed to remember himself and relaxed his grip on his Zanpakutou.

"We're here to get Rukia, Ichigo," Renji said gruffly. "Captain Kuchiki and I are here to bring her back home."

"Over my dead body," Ichigo said fiercely with a feral grin plastered on his face. "She's already home, and you're not taking my wife or my kids anywhere."

He reached for his substitute Shinigami badge on his belt. Not the most ideal place to use it, but he couldn't fight Renji in his human form and he had left Kon at home to watch over Rukia. Just as he grabbed it Renji threw him off with his next few words.

"So she's still alive?" Renji gasped out unexpectedly, shock and relief flooded his face as he took a step toward Ichigo. "We actually made it in time."

"What are you talking about, Renji?" Ichigo asked as he relaxed his grip on his badge. This was absolutely not the response that he had expected from his challenging statement. "If you thought she was dead then why the hell did you and Byakuya come?"

"We had hoped we'd make it in time, but we knew we might be too late," Renji explained, their fight seemingly forgotten. He was explaining things calmly as if he hadn't just threatened to take his wife and children away. "Captain Unohana gave Rukia only seven months to live and we took a little more than that to get here. Despite Captain Kuchiki's best efforts it took him over a month after Rukia disappeared to get permission and over a month after that to get the special gigais we needed to come here."

"So what are you going to do, Renji, now that you're here?" Ichigo asked as his body tensed again for a fight. "I won't let you take them, especially since it's too dangerous to move Rukia right now in her condition."

"Stupid," he replied as he glared at Ichigo while he sheathed Zabimaru in one quick motion. "Do you really think that I'd hurt Rukia that way? I'm here to help you two idiots. Captain Kuchiki hasn't shared his exact plans with me yet, but I hope to stall him in taking her back long enough to give Rukia a chance to talk to him."

"Do you think he'd listen?" Ichigo asked. "According to Rukia he wasn't all that open to discussion when she ran away from him."

"He's… desperate, Ichigo," Renji replied with a concerned frown on his face. "In all my time as his Lieutenant I've never seen him this way. I never thought I would ever see that unfeeling block of ice melt, but once Rukia disappeared he became a different person. I never knew he cared that much about her."

"So what does he plan to do once he finds her?" asked Ichigo.

"I'm not really sure, but once we came we immediately went to your house and Urahara shoten to look for her. We couldn't see or sense her in either location, so when that idea didn't pan out we split up to search the whole town. Since you still leak reiatsu like an undisciplined idiot I thought I'd track you down first and ask you about her location."

_Why were they unable to find her? _Ichigo wondered. _Could it have been_ t_he barrier? I didn't know that it could hide Rukia and the twins that completely. _

"Oi, Ichigo," Renji called out, snapping him out of his reverie. "I said that I assume if Rukia's made it this far that you all have a plan."

"We do," Ichigo said as he nodded his agreement. He relaxed enough to allow himself to let an enormous amount of relief flood through him. "We just have to wait two more weeks for everything to be set up."

_I guess, I should have known that Renji would come to help us, _Ichigo thought. _He's gone against the Soul Society before for Rukia's sake and I should have known he would do it again._

"By the way Renji, which way did Byakuya go?"

"I think he was on his way to check on Inoue's house."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! This chapter just didn't want to get written and i had to redo it several times._

_Just to let you know, there is a place that sells chocolate covered cuttlefish in Hawai'i. I just added in the red bean paste because Inoue seems to eat everything with red bean paste._

_Renji is actually one of the harder characters for me to write so I hope he came out okay._

_Thanks again for reading and the reviews!  
_


	13. Chapter 13: Awakenings

_Thanks for waiting!_

_I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I wish Bleach was all mine, but sadly, it's not!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 13: Awakenings**

Renji jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he quickly made his way back to Ichigo's home. He had Ichigo's empty body tucked carelessly under his arm; it flopped around like a dying fish as Renji quickly made his way through the night.

'_Take my body back to my house for me', he says, _Renji grumbled in his head. _Who does that bastard think he's talking to – I should just dump his body somewhere to teach him a lesson._

After Renji had told Ichigo the direction Captain Kuchiki had gone Ichigo had immediately used his Substitute Shinigami badge to transform. Renji had tried to stop him before he ran off so that he could explain more details about their mission to Ichigo, but the impatient sap had run off before he could get a single word out. He had ordered Renji to take his body back to his home and explain to Rukia what was going on.

"_But, we couldn't find her at your house," Renji had shouted at Ichigo's retreating back._

"_Just knock on my window," he had shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared from view. "It may take a while, but someone will let you in."_

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, anyway," Renji mumbled to himself as he landed in front of the Kurosaki Clinic. He hid Ichigo's body in a bush by the side of the house so that he wouldn't give Rukia the wrong idea by suddenly showing up with what looked like Ichigo's lifeless body.

_Besides, if I just happen to "forget" where I left his stupid body it would serve him right, _he thought smugly as he dusted his hands off. He was just about to leap up to Ichigo's second story window when he heard an angry female voice behind him.

"Bakudou One, Sai!"

_Aw, crap! _Was the one thought that Renji was able have before he felt his arms being forced behind him in the binding spell. He craned his head around to look at his assailant.

"Just where do you think you're going, Lieutenant Abarai?"

____________

Karin awoke with a start in her dark bedroom that she shared with Yuzu. Everything seemed quiet except for the sound of her twin's light breathing.

_What woke me up? _Was the first thing she wondered as she sat up from her bed and looked around the room. Everything seemed peaceful and in order, the moonlight only cast familiar shadows on her walls, and nothing seemed threatening. She debated for a moment if she was just imagining things, but she decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. Karin closed her eyes and let her senses flow out into the night. _I don't feel a Hollow…or anything else…_

Then suddenly, she felt just a flicker of a familiar reiatsu that shouldn't be here - and it was moving rapidly toward her home. It was greatly repressed so if Karin hadn't been searching for something she wouldn't have felt it at all. She leaped out of bed and quickly ran towards Ichi-nii and Rukia Onee-san's room; as soon as she got there she placed her hand against the door just above the knob and waited for the barrier around the room to recognize her. Karin felt the familiar warming sensation as it identified her and opened a brief portal for her in the barrier. She grabbed the knob and rushed in to their room.

"Ichi-nii," Karin hissed urgently into the dark room, she was hoping to alert her brother without waking Rukia Onee-san who was under a lot of strain, she blinked in the darkness and realized that her brother wasn't there. Rukia was in the bed sleeping sitting up, propped up by a mound of pillows. Her hands were resting lightly on her huge stomach and her breathing was soft and even.

_Where did Ichi-Nii go_, Karin thought in exasperation as she let out a frustrated sigh and scratched the back of her head. _Of all the times for him not to be here! The stupid old man isn't here either because he's at Urahara's to help him figure out some last minute details for Onee-san's delivery._

Karin turned and was just about to leave the room when Kon suddenly leaped out of nowhere and grabbed on to her chest. As soon as he was latched on he started to rub his lion plushie face against Karin's err… assets.

"Oh, how wonderful," Kon mumbled sleepily as he continued to rub his face against Karin's chest, his eyes were still closed and he didn't seem fully conscious yet. "I've never had such a good dream feel so real before…"

Karin bit back her angry shout so that she wouldn't disturb Onee-san, then she ripped Kon off her chest and threw him on the floor where she proceeded to ground Kon's stuffed animal body into dust on the floor.

"You perverted ball of fluff," she hissed at him furiously when she was done smashing him into the floor. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ah, Ichigo's Little Sister," he mumbled into the floor. "You're getting just as good as Nee-chan in stomping me to the ground…"

"Never mind that," she whispered impatiently as she reached down to pick Kon up by his tail. "Where did Ichi-Nii go?"

"He went to pick a snack up for Nee-chan," he said as he twisted back and forth in Karin's grip. "That stupid, inconsiderate Ichigo is taking so long that Nee-chan fell back asleep."

"Damn!" Karin swore softly as she dropped Kon unceremoniously back on to the floor. She reached into her pajama pocket and drew out a candy dispenser that had the head of a rabbit on top. "I guess I'm going to have to take care of this myself until Ichi-Nii comes back."

She opened her mouth and dispensed a gikongan into it. Karin's Shinigami form burst out of her body as Kon stood on the floor looking blankly around, obviously confused.

"What…" he asked loudly enough that Karin clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Shhhh," she shushed him, she glanced quickly toward the bed to make sure Onee-san was still asleep. "I don't want Rukia Onee-san to wake up while I deal with this."

Karin glanced at her body and Kon and said, "Both of you stay here and watch over her and Yuzu while I go outside to greet our unwelcome guest."

___________

Renji turned his head to face Karin Kurosaki. She had grown taller since the last time he'd seen her about a year ago. Her dark hair still only came up to about her shoulders, but she was looking more like a woman rather than a little kid even in the baggy shuhakusho she was in. She held her Zanpakutou steadily as she pointed it threateningly at him, the dim lighting of the street behind her partially hid her face in shadows.

"Wait Karin…" Renji said quickly as he struggled to turn around and face her completely. He probably could have broken her binding spell, but that would probably have given her the go ahead to try and slice his head off. "It's not what you think. I'm here to help Rukia."

"Then what are you doing sneaking around our house in the middle of the night?" she asked with a scowl that looked exactly like her older brother's. "It seems highly suspicious to me, you red-headed pineapple."

___________

Rukia woke up with a start - her two bundles of joy had given her, a quick shot to the ribs that pained her for just a moment. Her hand automatically went to the upper swell of her stomach. She rubbed there soothingly until she felt the little foot protruding out from there sink back into her stomach. A small, sleepy smile broke out on her face as she felt the twin's wiggle around inside of her.

_I think the only thing I'll really miss about being pregnant is feeling them move inside of me, _she thought, e_ven if they do kick me in my ribs every now and then. _Rukia blinked and gazed blearily around the dark room. She turned her head to look at the clock on the table beside the bed - it said that it was 2:45 am.

_Ichigo's been gone for a while, _she worried sleepily. _He should have been back by now._

Rukia yawned and then rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand in an effort to wake herself up. She slept almost constantly now because her body was almost at its limits and it took an enormous amount of effort to just to do simple thing like eat and walk. She needed help to do practically everything. Rukia hated this enforced convalescence her pregnancy placed on her and couldn't wait for the last two weeks to go by. The only thing that made this somewhat tolerable was her knowledge of the rewards at the end of this long lengthy trial.

_If we ever have anymore kids, _she thought a little sourly, her hormones causing a sudden mood shift, _I'm going to have Urahara figure out a way for Ichigo to be the one who's pregnant._

"Kon?" she called out into the darkness of the room. "Kon?"

"Yes, Nee-chan?" he asked as he suddenly leaped onto the bed, just a little too close to Rukia's chest. Rukia's arm shot out reflexively and knocked him on to the floor.

"What did you do that for, Nee-chan?" Kon wailed as he pulled himself back onto the bed. "Didn't you call me?"

"Sorry, Kon," she apologized a little breathlessly, she leaned heavily back into her pillows. Even that bit of arm movement had drained her of whatever energy she had gained from her brief nap, but hitting Kon did make her sour mood ease a little. "Did Ichigo come back yet? It's been almost an hour and…"

Rukia was interrupted by a thunking noise in her closet that was followed by a small exclamation of pain. She glanced down at Kon who was suddenly pouring sweat off of his little stuffed tan and brown body.

"Are you hiding something in my closet, Kon?" she asked sharply as she stared intensely at the closet door. There were a few more thumping noises and then the door slid open to reveal Karin in her pajamas. Rukia blinked a couple times in surprise and confusion.

"Karin?" she asked. "What are you doing in my closet?"

"Nothing… pyon," substitute Karin laughed nervously, her arm behind her head.

_Pyon? _Rukia thought incredulously, she recognized her favorite Chappy Gikongai's mannerism instantly. _Why is Karin out of her body?_

Rukia opened her mouth to ask them what was going on, but a dark shadow forming outside her window caught her eye. She turned her head to get a better look and realized that Karin was standing by the street with her Zanpakutou pointed in front of her towards the house. She seemed to be concentrating so hard at whoever or whatever was in front of her that she didn't see the Hollow appearing above. Rukia watched in horror as a Hollow with a mask like a horned human skull silently appeared from the depths of its dark entry way above Karin's position.

"Karin!" she screamed as she banged as hard as she could on the window with her right hand, but her weakened body resisted her efforts and her feeble attempts were not enough to alert Karin. Rukia struggled desperately against her unresponsive body to sit up further so she could slide the window open. Karin continued to face her opponent in front of her, unaware that her death was appearing right above her.

"Kon, help me open this window now!" she ordered as she continued to struggle to sit up, her breathing became labored as she tried to force her lead body to move. Rukia finally managed to drag herself to the other side of the sliding window. Her heart beat wildly in her chest from fear and exertion as she placed her hand against the barrier to open a portal for her to stick her head out and warn Karin.

Kon had hopped up immediately, but the window seemed to be stuck and he was still trying desperately to tug it open.

_No! _Rukia thought desperately when she saw that the Hollow was already out of its portal and silently rushing down to devour Karin.

No time to think, no time to hesitate, Rukia followed her instincts and automatically raised her hand to use her kidou to save Karin.

"Bakudou One, Sai!" she shouted, forgetting in her panic that she wasn't supposed to be trying to do any kidou. She had to save Karin and there was nothing else to it. The moment she unleashed her spell, Kon wrestled the window open for Rukia at last, and Karin finally looked up at the sound of Rukia's voice. A look of fear flashed across Karin's face as she saw the Hollow bearing down on her. Rukia was dimly aware of another voice shouting right under her window, but her spell hit the Hollow and the power of the spell completely shocked her.

The low level binding spell had caused the Hollow to implode. Rukia had meant to only distract it long enough to give Karin a chance to get away from its initial attack, but instead she had somehow completely destroyed it.

_That's impossible, _she thought in stunned amazement. _How did I…_

Rukia's thought was cut off by a sudden wrenching pain in her stomach. She doubled over with a small cry as she grabbed at her distended middle. The pain was almost indescribable - she had been stabbed, crushed and broken, but none of those experiences could compare to what she was feeling right now. She felt as if someone had suddenly reached inside of her body and shredded all of her muscles and organs, and then decided to try to crush her bones from the inside of her body. That intense pain ripped through her body and she lost control of the twin's reiatsu. Kon and Karin's body were flung back by the immense reiatsu that suddenly exploded in the room. The hole in the barrier snapped closed as Rukia jerked her body back in pain. The barrier held, even against the sudden onslaught of pressure, but it wasn't enough to hide all the reiatsu that was escaping from Rukia's body.

Rukia threw her head back and screamed.

____________

Karin looked up and felt a quick flash of fear as she watched the Hollow descend upon her. She was about to make a futile effort at defending herself when Rukia Onee-san's spell took effect. It was amazing to watch the Hollow fold in on itself until it was crushed into little particles that disappeared into the night.

_Onee-san saved me, _she thought numbly with relief. Karin turned her head up to see if Rukia Onee-san was okay, but her intense scream of pain suddenly rent through the air. Her niece and nephew's reiatsu suddenly pulsed around Karin, making her stumble a bit under the pressure.

"What the hell is that, Karin?" Renji asked as he came up beside her, he must have broken her binding spell to come to her aid when the Hollow attacked.

"Onee-san," she whispered as she turned and hurried back into the house to Rukia's room. She raced up the stairs and tried to run into the room without unlocking the barrier. She got knocked violently back into Renji who had been following close behind her. Cursing under her breath for being so stupid, she leapt immediately back on her feet and placed her hand on the correct spot she used earlier. She rushed in and was almost immediately brought to her knees by the strength of the reiatsu flowing though the room. She forced herself to walk through it to reach Rukia Onee-san's side so that she could check on her. Karin was dimly aware of Kon and her body lying in a heap by the closet door.

"Onee-san," she called out as she struggled to reach Rukia Onee-san who was curled into a trembling ball over her stomach. The pressure was too much for her and Karin collapsed for a moment at the side of the bed as her knees gave out, the closer she got to Rukia Onee-san the more intense the reiatsu became. From the floor, Karin's eyes widened in horror as she saw a thin red line dripping down the side of the bed into a puddle on the floor.

The reiatsu eased all of a sudden, but Karin remained on the floor. She seemed to be only able to stare in mute shock at the pool of blood forming in front of her eyes.

"Karin…" Onee-san's voice croaked weakly, it sounded like she had rubbed her throat raw from that one violent scream she had let out before. Karin snapped out of her daze at the sound of her voice and jumped up to her side. Rukia's small form was still curled around her huge stomach, but she slowly turned her head in Karin's direction.

"Get… Dad…. Find… Ichigo… can't hold… their reiatsu," Onee-san gasped out, her face strained and shiny with sweat from her efforts and the intense pain. "Take… Kon… go…"

"Okay," Karin said as she nodded her head a little too rapidly in agreement. She had to hurry or Onee-san wasn't going to make it. "Okay, I got it. Just hang on, okay?"

Karin turned rapidly and grabbed Kon and her body up off of the floor without even pausing. Then she let herself out of the barrier and ran right into Renji Abarai who had been hovering at the door since she entered the room. Karin dropped her burdens for a moment so she could grab the front of his clothes and yank his tall frame down to her face.

"You said you're here to help Rukia Onee-san, right," she demanded to his confused and worried face.

"Yeah, but what's happening…" he began to ask.

"No time to explain," Karin told him as she shoved him violently away from her. "I need you to stay here and protect her and Yuzu from the Hollows while I go and get help. Do you understand?"

Renji's look of confusion cleared as he gripped the hilt of his Zanpakutou. He simply nodded his head and that was enough for Karin. She bolted to her room and flung her door open.

"Yuzu!" she shouted. She saw her sister sit up slowly and look at her with half closed eyes. Since Yuzu had absolutely no reiatsu whatsoever she had apparently been able to sleep through the whole ruckus.

"Karin?" she asked sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"You need to prep everything for Dad," she told her urgently as she ran over and grabbed her twin's hand. "Onee-san is in danger and I have to bring Ichi-Nii and Dad home."

Yuzu instantly became alert. She nodded her head as she leaped out of bed and started toward the door. Karin grabbed Kon and her body then followed after her down the stairs, Yuzu headed toward the clinic and Karin continued out the door and into the night. She paused at the front door swung her body and Kon around so that they were both facing her.

"I need you two to go to Urahara shoten and bring Dad and Mr. Urahara back here," she instructed them. "They probably felt Onee-san's reiatsu and are already on their way, but head over there just to be sure. I'm going to search the town for Ichi-nii."

____________

In three different sections of Karakura town, Inoue, Ishida and Chad were suddenly jerked awake by the enormous reiatsu that suddenly pulsed through their homes. It only took them a moment to realize that this was Isamu and Masumi's power that they were feeling. They all leaped out of bed to get dressed and hurry toward the Kurosaki Clinic and protect the rest of the town. The screams of the Hollows attracted to the twin's reiatsu could be heard resonating all through Karakura.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Ichigo and Byakuya should be popping up in the next chapter._

_Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and read this story! _

_It's one of the many things that I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving!  
_


	14. Chapter 14: Confrontation

_Thanks you for reading! Please enjoy this next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Still do not own Bleach!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 14: Confrontation**

Ichigo could feel the cold air rushing by him as he leaped from building to building. He was making his way towards Inoue's apartment in search of Byakuya. He had kept his senses open the whole way there, but although he had tried his best, Ichigo was still a novice when it came to finding other people's reiatsu, and he had not been able to locate him.

_I guess, I'll give it one more try, _he thought as he landed silently in a playground near Inoue's home. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but still couldn't feel anything in the early morning darkness. _Damn it, where is that bastard._

"Ichigo Kurosaki," a cold, unfeeling voice called out quietly from the street behind him.

Ichigo turned around slowly to face the person whose chilly voice had cut through the quiet night. He could feel his face set into a steely scowl. The leaves and dust around him whirled violently away as his reiatsu rose in time to his feelings of anger towards this person who had caused Rukia so much grief.

"What do you want, Byakuya?" he asked as he turned to face his wife's older brother, he knew the answer, but he couldn't resist being an obstinate ass towards this aloof man whom he had never completely understood. His intense brown eyes flared blue as he glared at Byakuya who stood in the middle of a pool of light from a streetlamp in front of the park. Byakuya's arrogant form stood there silently as he returned Ichigo's glare, his haori and light green scarf flapping violently around him as his reiatsu rose in time with Ichigo's. They looked liked two visions of death meeting in the dark.

"Where is Rukia?" Byakuya asked coldly, he seemed to be as hard and immovable as stone. The only thing that seemed to belie that impression was his wild eyes which were trying to burn holes into Ichigo. "Tell me now and I may not have to kill you."

"Why should I tell you where she is?" he asked as he reached behind his back to grab Zangetsu's hilt. A mocking, feral grin spread across his face as his body tensed for battle. "If she wanted you to know, I'm sure she would have stayed with you in the Soul Society."

"Do not be stupid, boy," Byakuya replied with more heat in his voice as his reiatsu whipped around him more intensely. "You are going to kill her unless you give her to me right now."

"You're the one who's going to kill her, you stubborn ass," Ichigo retorted angrily as he drew Zangetsu from his back and pointed it threateningly at Byakuya. Byakuya's eyes narrowed almost to slits as he listened to Ichigo's words. "We can save her and the twins; the only thing you have to do is go away and leave us alone."

"I can see that there is no talking sense into you," Byakuya said icily as he drew his Zanpakutou, Senbonzakura, out of its sheath. He pointed his Zanpakutou directly at Ichigo and shifted his stance in preparation to attack. "Let me see if I can beat some into you instead."

The darkness seemed to hold its breath for a moment as they faced off with each other. No breeze stirred the air and it was absolutely silent. Even the insects seemed to have stopped their nighttime chorus in anticipation of their next move. Byakuya and Ichigo continued to glare at each other for another second, and then - faster than any normal human eye could follow – they raced from their original positions to clash in the darkness.

_________________

Karin ran along the dimly lit streets as fast as she could. She hadn't quite mastered the art of shunpo yet so she had to rely on her athleticism to get her quickly to where she felt Ichi-nii's reiatsu. He was obviously doing battle with someone, but she wasn't familiar with the other person that she felt. She suspected that it was probably Onee-san's older brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, but since she had never seen him in battle she couldn't be absolutely sure that it was him.

"Stop fooling around, Ichi-nii,"Karin muttered out loud to herself as she continued to race through the darkened streets of Karakura. She knew her brother was really bad at sensing reiatsu, but she felt sure that even he must have felt his children's reiatsu ripple through out the town. "I know you have to take care of this guy, but Onee-san needs you."

A black portal suddenly appeared in front of Karin, about 25 yards away, and a snake like Hollow and one that looked like a large bull materialized from them. They took one look at her and screamed defiantly.

_Here we go again, _she thought impatiently as she kept going straight towards them, her Zanpakutou, Kajibana, already grasped in her hand. _I swear there's no end to them. _

Karin had been destroying Hollows ever since she had left her home. The twin's reiatsu was still leaking out of the barrier even though Rukia had been able to repress some of it before Karin left. Its alluring scent was apparently still attracting the Hollows to Karakura in droves.

"Saku – Kajibana!" Karin cried out as she released her Zanpakutou into its shikai form. Her blade burst into pure flame and turned into a fiery whip. She drew her arm back and lashed Kajibana towards the snake-like-Hollow's leering white mask. The Hollow raised its arm and blocked the deadly strike; the whip wrapped itself tightly around its wrist instead of cracking the mask in half. The Hollow screamed in pain as Kajibana's heat seared its arm painfully. Karin gave a small smile of triumph as she pulled her Zanpakutou so that the snake Hollow was yanked in front of the bull-like-one who had started to charge towards her.

"Honou no hana," she called out. The fiery tip of her Zanpakutou burst into flame just as the two ran into each other and engulfed both of the Hollows in a flash of orange light. For a second the Hollows looked as if they were encased in a brilliant, flaming flower. It took only another second for the Hollows to be incinerated into nothingness. Karin pulled Kajibana back towards her as the Hollows crumbled into dust.

_Damn, this is just taking me too long, _she vented as she returned Kajibana to a regular Zanpakutou. She could have kept it in its shikai form a bit longer, but she had to conserve her energy since she seemed to be running into a Hollow every couple of blocks. _I'll never get to Ichi-nii in time at this rate!_

_________________

Rukia was lost in a sea of pain. She felt like an eternity had passed since the first jolt of pain had ripped through her body. She had somehow gotten used to the intensity of the pain and she was able to think around it enough to know that she had to dampen the babies' reiatsu or else they would place everyone in danger.

_Something has to be wrong, _she thought dimly through the red haze of pain. _It's not supposed to hurt this much, is it?_

Every muscle in Rukia's body trembled as she fought to keep it together until Ichigo and Isshin could come to help her. Her hair clung to her sweat drenched face as the pain continued to rip her apart from the inside. She alternated between her body's desperate need to knock her unconscious so that she could escape from the endless agony she was in, and her need to remain conscious to help keep everyone safe from the Hollows the twins were going to attract.

"Ichigo…," she whispered in between panted breaths, she held on to consciousness by a slim thread.

_Where are you? _Rukia thought just as she felt a warm, rough hand touch her face. Her eyes fluttered open hopefully, but instead of Ichigo she was greeted by the concerned face of Isshin Kurosaki.

"Rukia-chan, can you hear me?" he asked as he tried to uncurl her gently from the fetal position she seemed to have been frozen into ever since the pain had started. He was trying to get her in a better position to examine her. "I need you to move so that I can give you something for the pain and prep you for the C-section."

"I…thought…clinic," she asked, her words coming out painfully slow.

Isshin shook his head and replied to her question before she finished. "The barrier around the clinic isn't set up so we can't take you out of this room. We're going to have to try to do this here. If we take you downstairs we'll be overwhelmed by Hollows before we can even start the procedure."

Isshin carefully rolled Rukia on to her back, and then proceeded to try and gently pry her arms away from her stomach.

"Kon met us halfway and explained to us what happened," he explained as he continued to gently, but quickly, examine her. "Luckily we were already on our way after we felt the first pulse of their reiatsu at Urahara's store."

Just then Yuzu and Urahara came into the room with all the equipment Isshin would need. Yuzu stumbled a bit from the reiatsu swirling in the room and Urahara had to catch her before she fell.

"I think Yuzu is going to have to wait outside," Isshin said as he left Rukia for a moment to take his daughter from Urahara's arms. "She isn't going to be able to withstand all the reiatsu that's going to be in this room so you're going to have to help me, Kisuke."

"What did you need me to do?" Urahara asked as he watched Isshin help Yuzu back out into the hall, despite her pain Rukia noticed that he looked a bit green as he nodded.

"I'll explain as we go," Isshin replied as he came back into the room and started to set everything up. "I would do this alone if I could, but I can't, and unfortunately, Karin is out looking for my idiot son."

_________________

Renji was breathing hard as he finished killing his 10th – or was it his 20th- Hollow. Soon after Karin had left to search for Ichigo they had started to materialize all around the clinic. Even though most of them were small fry, Renji was having a hard time keeping up with all of them because the limiter he wore restricted his ability to effectively use Zabimaru in his shikai form. Bankai was also a definite impossibility at this point.

_Damn, those bastards at Central 46, _he thought angrily as he leapt out of the way a scant second before another Hollow appeared behind him and almost impaled him to the ground with its claws. It created a huge crater in the ground as it smashed its hand into the spot Renji had just occupied. _What the hell made them so paranoid that we had to have almost all of our abilities sealed away?_

He turned to face the attacking Hollow and was taken aback as he saw balls of energy shoot rapidly at the Hollow to destroy it completely. He turned in the direction the missiles had come from and saw Ururu Tsumugiya lowering her huge rapid fire canon down to the ground. She had grown taller, but she still had the thin stick shape of an undeveloped kid. To add to her childlike image, she still wore her hair in the pigtails that she had ever since he first met her. She smiled at him as she bowed in greeting.

"Hello Mr. Moocher," she said pleasantly as she straightened back up. "It's so good to see you again."

_Mr. Moocher? _Renji thought angrily as he felt a vein begin to throb in his forehead. _Why the hell is she still calling me that…I haven't actually lived off of them for over a year now._

Another Hollow's cry rang through the air and Renji looked up to see one materialize in the air above him. He bunched up his muscles to leap up and destroy it when he heard a young male voice give a familiar battle cry.

"Jinta – Homerun!" Jinta Hanakari shouted as he smashed the Hollow with his oversized metal club. The Hollow was smashed to bits and Jinta landed cat like next to Renji.

"I see you're still a loser, huh, moocher," he sassed Renji as he stood up and gave him a huge smirk. He leaned against his huge club as he looked tauntingly at Renji.

"I wouldn't talk like that to someone who's still over a foot taller than you," Renji snapped back as he rubbed Jinta's one sensitive spot. The kid had grown since he met him, but he was still a midget compared to Ururu and himself.

"What did you say you freeloading, good for nothing jerk!" Jinta yelled as he took a threatening step closer to Renji. Renji smiled, he was satisfied with the rise he was able to get out of the little twerp.

"Jinta," Ururu interrupted hesitantly as she raised a timid hand out to stop them from fighting. "I don't think you should be…"

"Aw, shut up, Ururu," Jinta snapped at her as he leaped to her side and began to rub his fists into either side of her head. "Just because you're taller than me doesn't give you the right to butt in!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Ururu cried as she tried to protect herself from his attack. "Stop it, Jinta! I just think we should do what Mr. Tessai and Tenchou asked us to do!"

"What are you two doing here?" Renji asked as he interrupted this all too familiar scene.

"We came with Tenchou and Mr. Kurosaki to help keep the Hollows away from the clinic while Miss Rukia is giving birth," Ururu explained when Jinta eased up enough on her so that she could respond. She stood from her kneeling position on the ground and dusted herself off. "They asked us to protect the clinic while you go and fetch Miss Orihime back to the clinic."

"Urahara and Mr. Kurosaki are here already?" he asked incredulously. "I didn't even notice…"

"Of course not, moocher," Jinta taunted him from Ururu's side. "Someone as hopeless as you can't be expected to fight Hollows _and_ notice what's happening around him."

____________________

Ichigo and Byakuya's swords clashed again and again as they moved like blurs of colors in the sky. The battle seemed evenly matched, but neither of them had let loose with the complete power of their Zanpakutous.

"What's a matter Byakuya?" Ichigo taunted as their swords came together with a loud crash; they were eye to eye for the moment. "Why don't you release your Zanpakutou? Or did you become a weak, spoiled little noble since the end of the war?"

"I do not need to release Senbonzakura to take care of an insolent brat like you," Byakuya replied coldly as they pushed off hard from each other and ended up glaring heatedly at the other from about twenty feet apart. "I will make you tell me where she is and then kill you so that you can never place Rukia in danger again."

"I'm not the one placing her in danger, you idiot," Ichigo growled across the air to Byakuya. "You're the one who wants to take her back to the Soul Society when it's too dangerous to move her. Besides, the twin's are almost ready to be born, if Rukia survives and they don't do you think she'd ever be happy after that!"

"She will get over it," he replied icily, as he shifted his stance once more in preparation to launch himself at Ichigo. He blurred as he disappeared from his spot and Ichigo quickly whipped Zangetsu behind him to block Byakuya's blow to his back.

"Still using the same old tricks, huh, Byakuya," Ichigo said as he tensed his arms and flung Byakuya back with his Zanpakutou. Ichigo whirled around and counter attacked with a downward slash that Byakuya parried quickly with Senbonzakura. The two of them were face to face again. "Why do you have to be such a control freak when it comes to Rukia?"

"It is because she is forever placing herself in danger!" Byakuya snapped back angrily, his icy calm finally shattered by Ichigo's words. "And you… you stupid _boy_, are never man enough to keep her from getting hurt. I saved her when the Bounts nearly killed her; I saved her when she lay dying in Hueco Mundo; and I was the one who brought help in time to save her when she nearly died again from Grimmjow's attack!"

Byakuya shoved viciously against Ichigo at the end of his tirade. Surprise caused Ichigo to flail back clumsily and fall back towards the ground as Byakuya's words made him rethink several things about this man whom he had always assumed had no feelings. The vehemence of those words and the feelings pure anger and hate that resonated in Byakuya's voice caused Ichigo to blink in shocked amazement. This was obviously what Byakuya must perceive as the ultimate failing in Ichigo's relationship with Rukia.

"Just by being with you she encounters one danger after the other," Byakuya hissed angrily at Ichigo as he landed on the ground near him, his eyes blazed with a fury that Ichigo had never seen on Byakuya's face before. "From the day she first met you and awoke your Shinigami powers you have done nothing, but cause her grief."

Ichigo felt his own anger rise at the accusations that Byakuya threw at him and he lashed out at him with what Ichigo's believed was Byakuya's failings with Rukia.

"You can think whatever you like, Byakuya," Ichigo snarled at him, he was breathing hard from the emotions welling up inside him rather than the fight he was having. "But Rukia has always made her own decisions on how she wants to live her life and you always seem intent on taking that away from her. She had to separate from the people she loved when you forced her to remain in the Soul Society and she was forced to run away to protect our children all because of you. She lived a lonely, isolated life after you adopted her into your 'noble' family, and when she finally chooses to find a happier destiny for herself you take it away from her."

"I admit that I've failed to protect her at times, but I've always gotten stronger so that I can keep her and everyone else who's important to me safe," Ichigo continued a little more softly as he stared unflinchingly at Byakuya. "In fact, Rukia was the one who made me realize that I can't cop out because of my failures and give up on protecting everyone simply because I doubt myself. I'll always protect Rukia and her right to live her life however she chooses even if it means kicking the ass of her misguided, overprotective older brother."

They both stood there breathing heavily from their outbursts of anger as they faced each other. The night remained silent as they looked daggers at each other from their respective positions. Then without another word they began another mad rush towards each other.

"Hadou Four, Byakurai!" a voice shouted off to the side of them. Ichigo and Byakuya leaped back from the point where they would have collided just in time to avoid being fried by a bolt of white lightning. They turned their startled faces towards the source of the attack.

"What are you two idiots doing?!" Karin Kurosaki yelled as she still held her arm up with her palm faced towards them. She seemed prepared to blast both of them with another spell if they even twitched in each other's direction. "From what I heard, both of you obviously care about Onee-san, but like a couple of stupid, testosterone numbed males you're too busy fighting with each other instead of taking care of her!"

"What happened, Karin?" Ichigo asked as he hurried toward her, instantly forgetting his fight with Byakuya. Byakuya did not follow Ichigo, but he stood quietly in the dark and listened to the conversation between the siblings. "Is something wrong with Rukia?"

Ichigo felt his face fall as he looked at the expression on Karin's face as she turned towards him to answer his questions. Karin never cried, not since their Mom died, but here she stood with unshed tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ichi-nii," she told him quietly as she lowered her hand to her side, her tears still trembling at the edge of her eyes. "It's my fault. Onee-san had to use kidou to save me from a Hollow because I wasn't paying attention. I think she went into labor, but something is really wrong because she's in so much pain and she's bleeding a lot. She also lost control of the twin's reiatsu and now Hollows are appearing everywhere."

"It's okay Karin, it's not your fault," Ichigo said quietly to his little sister as he gripped her shoulders gently. He had been so focused on his battle with Byakuya that he hadn't noticed his kid's reiatsu swirling around him until she mentioned it. "Is Dad and Urahara there already?"

"They should be, I sent Kon and my substitute self to bring them home, but I'm sure they were already on their way," Karin replied a little shakily. It seemed like seeing her brother had opened some sort of door that let her fear and guilt slip out. "I told Yuzu to get everything ready and Renji Abarai showed up at the clinic so he's taking care of the Hollows there."

"Good job, Karin," Ichigo said reassuringly to her as he turned toward his home. "We better hurry back so that we can help them."

Then Ichigo turned his back completely to Byakuya and addressed him one last time before he took off.

"I think you will agree that we'll have to put this off till later," Ichigo said without turning around. "You can follow us if you like and help us take care of Rukia - if that's what you're really here to do."

Then Ichigo swung Karin onto his back and used shunpo to speed his way home.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't too confusing because there are a lot of things going on at the same time._

_Sorry, but my Japanese kind of sucks so if the meanings and translations are off, then I do apologize._

_Saku - Bloom_

_Kajibana - Fire Flower_

_Honou no Hana - Flower of Flame or Flame Flower_

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will hopefully have the next one out soon.  
_


	15. Chapter 15: Life

_Thanks for waiting! Please enjoy this next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Please, please, pleeeaassse can I have Bleach? No? Aw, nuts!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Life**

Uryuu Ishida stood at the top of the of a tall apartment building so that he would have an easier time finding all the Hollows that were appearing in the section of town he was assigned to protect. They were pouring out from everywhere and he was just grateful that it was so early that no one was really out on the streets right now. He could feel Ichigo fighting with Byakuya near Orihime's place and he couldn't help but wonder if the idiot even realized that something was wrong with his wife and kids.

_I know that idiot has a hard time sensing reiatsu, but you would think that he'd at least notice his own children's whirling around, _he thought as he destroyed six Hollows at once. _Some things never change - he's still the densest Shinigami that I've ever met._

There was a momentary lull in the Hollow activity around him so he used that opportunity to check on Orihime. He wished that he could be at her side to protect her, but he knew that he had a responsibility to protect the townspeople too. Besides, he didn't think that Orihime would be happy if she thought he doubted her ability to take care of herself.

_She's still quite a distance away from the clinic, but it seems like she's getting closer, _he thought as he concentrated on her presence. He felt her reiatsu rise and fall as she paused here and there to take on the Hollows she encountered on her way to the clinic. _Be safe, Orihime. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you._

Then another batch of Hollows materialized around him and he had to turn his concentration back to destroying them.

______________

Orihime Inoue was running as fast as she could towards the Kurosaki home, her long dark orange hair flying behind her. She probably would have made it there already if she didn't have to have use Shun Shun Rikka every few minutes to counter a Hollow attack.

_I have to get to Rukia, _she thought desperately as she ran through the dimly lit streets of Karakura. _Something must have happened to her if I could feel Isamu and Masumi all the way at my place._

Orihime had to get to Rukia so that she could save her. Next to Tatsuki, Rukia had been one of Orihime's dearest friends ever since she had met her almost five years ago in high school. Although her feelings toward Rukia had ranged from admiration to jealousy during those years, Orihime had always felt a special connection with the small, dark haired Shinigami girl.

_We're so different in a lot of ways, _she thought as she leaned briefly against a stone wall to catch her breath, she allowed herself a few seconds of rest and then continued on her way. _But I think that's why we get along so well together._

Another dark portal appeared in the sky above Orihime and four Hollows appeared out of it. They noticed her immediately and flew down quickly in a race to be the first to devour her. She raised her hands to the hair pins on the sides of her head and recited her kotodama.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject," she cried out, a flash of light flared at her side as Tsubaki appeared and shot forward to pierce the first Hollow through the gate. It screamed as it dissolved, and the others took advantage of the momentary window her attack seemed to have left to charge at her all together, but Orihime instantly shouted the next kotodama to block their attack.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject," she shouted, and a glowing triangular shaped shield appeared in front of her to block the remaining three's attack. The distraction gave her enough time to line Tsubaki up for another strike.

_This is taking too long; _she thought frantically, her usually smiling face marred by a small frown. _I won't get there in time to save Rukia if I don't get moving right now!_

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Orihime shouted, and Tsubaki, blazing with the power of Orihime's resolve, flew swiftly through the remaining three Hollows in one strike. They evaporated before Orihime even released her shield. She was breathing hard from her battle, but she immediately started to run toward the Kurosaki Clinic again.

As Orihime ran through the night to save her dear friend, memories of their times together swirled through her mind. Simple things like laughing together over lunch and sharing girl talk about the men in their lives; to major events like being rescued from Hueco Mundo and fighting together in the Winter War. All of these memories fueled Orihime's determination as she forced herself to keep running even though her lungs felt like they were about to explode.

Suddenly, she felt Isamu and Masumi's reiatsu vanish from the night. Distracted by its abrupt disappearance Orihime tripped over a rock on the ground and slid painfully across the pavement. She lay on the ground, momentarily stunned. She pushed herself up and winced when she pressed her scrapes against the rough cement. A loud scream from a Hollow resounded right behind her. Orihime turned her head just in time to see a Hollow with an ape like mask reach down to snatch her from the ground. She froze for a moment, unable to think of a way to defend herself from the impending attack. She closed her eyes and raised her hands in front of her face in an effort to protect herself. She waited, her body tensed in anticipation of the incoming blow - but it never came. She cracked open one eye to see what was going on and saw Renji Abarai frowning at her in concern from where the Hollow had been.

"Are you alright, Inoue?" he asked as he stretched a hand out to her to help her up. She gratefully grasped his hand and let him haul her up. She winced a bit as his hands pressed on her scrapes, but she still managed to give him a small smile.

"I'm fine Abarai," she bubbled in nervous relief as she dusted herself off. She noticed that he was looking with concern at the scrapes on her hands and arms so she clasped them behind her back.

"I'm such a klutz for tripping and falling like that, but I'm a lot tougher than I look so you don't have to worry about me!" she exclaimed as she gave a small laugh, and then, as if to emphasize her point, she made a small fist and knocked herself rather hard on her head.

"See, everything about me is as hard as a rock!"

Renji was looking at her like she was completely nuts. She continued to laugh nervously as she kept her hands behind her back. She hadn't wanted him to worry about her scrapes, but now he seemed to think she must have hit her head instead.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" she asked after a few awkward moments.

Her words seemed to shake him out of his confusion with her behavior and he quickly grabbed her arm.

"I'm here to take you back to the clinic, Inoue," he said urgently as he drew her closer to him so he could take her back to the clinic using shunpo. "Something is seriously wrong with Rukia and we need to get you there."

____________

Chad ran through the streets of his section of town. Three Hollows stepped out in front of him and blocked his path. He raised his right arm up and his black and red armor materialized around it. He brought his arm back and then swung it forward, letting loose a mighty blast that vaporized the three Hollows in one blow. Chad paused only for a moment after he defeated them and then he was running again towards the next Hollow that he sensed.

_I have to make sure that I get all the Hollows, _he thought as he made his rounds through his section of town. _Ichigo and the others are counting on me and they have more than enough things to worry about right now._

He reached the next group of Hollows and was about to dispatch them when all of a sudden the twin's reiatsu disappeared from the air around him. He paused in mid strike and looked anxiously around him as he cast his senses about – searching. Even the Hollows looked confused as they stared around and scented the air. They too seemed to be searching for the delicious reiatsu that had lured them here in the first place.

_Something must be wrong, _he thought.

Then he gathered his wits about him and quickly struck down the Hollows before they even realized he was there. He could still feel Hollows around Karakura, but they seemed to have stopped appearing at such a rapid rate.

_I better hurry and take care of them so that I can help Ichigo and the others._

Chad continued to hunt down the last remnants of the Hollows in his section of town. It took him longer than he expected, but at long last he felt certain that he had found the last one. He raised his fist to destroy it, but all of a sudden he was smashed to the ground by a sudden immense reiatsu. The low level Hollow in front of him screamed in agony and was destroyed by the reiatsu's strength.

_This can't be possible..., _Chad thought as he struggled to get air into his lungs. The reiatsu was so dense that it was interfering with his ability to breathe.

______________

Ichigo could feel Byakuya behind them as he raced towards the clinic with Karin clinging to his back. He hadn't said a word to Ichigo as he followed them to Rukia. They both had their Zanpakutous drawn as they ran because they had to destroy dozens of Hollows along the way. Although it was annoying, they were so efficient that they were still making quick progress toward Ichigo's house.

_We're almost there, Rukia, _he thought as he reached a little past the halfway point to his home. _Just hang on._

"Ichi-nii…" Karin said loudly to get his attention as she gripped his shoulders tightly. Ichigo turned his head to face her and saw a look of fear on Karin's face. "It's gone… Isamu and Masumi's reiatsu… it's gone…"

Ichigo stopped instantly in midair. He closed his eyes and concentrated on searching for his children's energy. Byakuya shot past him by a few feet and turned back to look at Ichigo.

"Why have you stopped, Kurosaki?" he asked. "I thought we had to hurry."

"Something's wrong," Ichigo replied, he felt fear rise from the pit of his stomach as he realized that Karin was right, and the twin's reiatsu was nowhere to be found. "I can't sense the kids anymore."

Ichigo moved like there was no tomorrow. He didn't bother to see if Byakuya was keeping up with him, he just hung on tightly to Karin with one hand and moved faster than he ever thought he was capable of. A Hollow appeared in front of him, but Ichigo didn't even pause.

"Getsuga Tenshou," he shouted as a crescent of energy exploded from the tip of his Zanpakutou and obliterated the Hollow in front of him. He didn't even pause. He ran right through the disappearing particles of the Hollow and visited the same fate on any other Hollows that were foolish enough to get in his way. He ran with single minded determination until, in no time at all, he reached the front of the clinic and burst through the doors. He slipped Karin off of his back and raced into the clinic.

"Rukia!" he shouted as he barreled toward the room Rukia was supposed to give birth in. He ran through the door, but was brought up short by the unexpected scene in front of him.

"Shhh! Nii-chan," Yuzu scolded him as she turned towards him, she carried a small, quiet bundle wrapped in a blue blanket with white rabbits printed on it. The baby in her arms seemed to have a full head of dark black hair. There was another small figure in a plastic bassinet screaming at the top of its lungs. Ichigo could see the bright orange color of its hair as it flailed its arms and legs angrily about. Yuzu carried the small bundle in her arms to him and placed it gently into his startled arms.

"You're going to wake Isamu, but I think even if you did he wouldn't cry. He's been so calm this whole time – unlike his younger sister over there," she said as she turned back towards Masumi to finish taking care of her. Yuzu gently picked her up and started to croon soothingly to her while she finished cleaning and checking her.

Ichigo was able to get one glance at his son before he heard his father behind him.

"Ichigo," Isshin said from the doorway. Ichigo turned to face him and realized his father looked very tired and strained. He had dark stains on his clothes and his face looked haggard. It was the first time Ichigo could honestly say that his father looked old. "I think you need to bring Isamu up to Rukia-chan now. I'll have Yuzu bring Masumi up as soon as she's done."

Ichigo's heart froze at the dead tone of his father's voice and the sad regretful look in his eyes as he spoke to him. Without a word, Ichigo quickly brushed past his father and hurried up the stairs.

____________

Byakuya stood at the entrance to the Kurosaki home, unsure about what to do. He had followed Kurosaki here without a second thought. His desperate need to save Rukia overriding any other emotions he had felt at that moment, but now that he was here he felt a bit uncertain whether or not he should actually go in. Although he had been too caught up in his anger to think about Kurosaki's words when they fought, the interruption by Kurosaki's younger sister and the mad dash back to the clinic had given his mind time to reflect on Kurosaki's words.

_Do I really take all of her happiness away? _Was the first question that had come to mind as his temper cooled. _Do I really keep her from living the kind of life she would like to live?_

He decided that standing out here would accomplish nothing so he decided to just go in and face Rukia. He was about walk towards the doors when Kisuke Urahara came to the entrance and opened the door for him. He held it open with one foot as he leaned on his cane with two hands in front of him.

"No sense just standing out here, Captain Kuchiki," he said as he looked up at Byakuya from under the brim of his hat. He looked unhappy and tired. "I think you better come in and see your sister. She's up the stairs to the right."

Byakuya started toward the door.

"Is Rukia alright?" Byakuya asked as he paused by Urahara without looking at him. He kept his face expressionless as he waited for his answer.

"It doesn't look good," Urahara said as he glanced at Byakuya from the side of his eyes. "When she cast her kidou spell she tapped into the children's reiatsu to do it. This accelerated the deterioration of her body and caused the twins to go into distress. The twins are okay, but the damage to her body is severe and she's dying now. Our only hope is that Renji gets back here with Inoue in the next couple of minutes."

"I see," Byakuya replied as he continued past Urahara to make his way to Rukia's side. Byakuya felt oddly numb at the news of Rukia's impending death. It almost felt as if all of his emotions had been wrung out of him by Kurosaki and Urahara's words. He walked up the stairs to Ichigo's room. Isshin Kurosaki was leaning against the wall by his son's door. It seemed apparent that he had been waiting for him.

"Ichigo is already in there with Rukia-chan and your nephew," Isshin told him as he opened the barrier for Byakuya. Isshin opened the door and stepped back so that he could go in. Byakuya stepped into the room and saw a very small and fragile looking Rukia lying on the bed. Someone had thrown a fresh blanket over her, but Byakuya could still see dark stains on the floor surrounding the bed. Kurosaki was kneeling by Rukia's side and holding her left hand gently in his. She had the baby cradled in her left arm also. Byakuya could see raven colored locks sticking out from the blue and white bunny blanket that the baby was wrapped in. He moved a bit stiffly to the foot of the bed where Rukia could look at him easily.

"Nii-sama…" she whispered as she gazed at him with half closed eyes. He saw a small smile break out on her pale, tired face. "I'm so happy that I got to see you before I…"

"Shut up and stop talking stupid, Rukia," Ichigo growled softly at her as he tightened his grip on her hand. "Renji will be back here with Inoue any second now and everything will be fine."

Rukia looked at Ichigo an expression that somehow managed to look exasperated and sad at the same time. She raised her hand slowly and gently touched his cheek.

"Ichigo, could you bring the bassinet here for Isamu?" she asked him quietly, her voice a very hoarse and tired version of itself. "Yuzu should be here with Masumi soon and I don't think I can hold both of them at the same time."

"Alright, I'll be right back," Ichigo said as he got up from Rukia's side. He shot a warning glare at Byakuya and then left the room.

As soon as Ichigo left Rukia turned her full attention back to Byakuya.

"Nii-sama," she said again, it hurt to hear her speak so weakly. She held out her hand to him and Byakuya went to her side. He had a disturbing memory of holding Hisana's hand this exact same way when she died.

"Do not speak, Rukia," he told her gently as he gripped her hand. "You need to save your strength."

She looked at him and ignored his words in the same way she had ever since she had become pregnant.

"Nii-san," she repeated, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"I am sorry, Rukia," he replied, his eyes softening a bit at her apology. "I did not mean for all this to happen this way."

"It's not your fault, Nii-sama," she answered as she looked down at her son lying in her arms. "But I do have a favor to ask…"

_______________

Orihime was getting frustrated, and by the way Abarai was cursing she was certain that he was too. They both had thought that it would be a quick trip back to the Kurosaki home, but it seemed like once the twin's reiatsu had disappeared the Hollow's had decided to eat the next tastiest thing around which just happened to be them. The closer they got to the area surrounding the clinic, the thicker the Hollows in the area seemed to be.

_I think I can sense everyone else at the clinic already, _she thought as she clung to Abarai while he used his shunpo in between Hollow attacks. _Hang on, Rukia! We're almost there._

* * *

_Thanks for reading! The story is wrapping up and everything should conclude in about three chapters._

_I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing. The answers should be coming up in the next two chapters!_

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed this story!  
_


	16. Chapter 16: Death

_Thanks for reading! Here is the next chapter. The next one should be out soon._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 16: Death**

Ichigo returned to the room with the bassinet and found Byakuya kneeling next to Rukia's bed. He turned and glanced at Ichigo when he heard him enter the room. He stood up and returned to the foot of the bed, relinquishing his spot by Rukia's side to Ichigo. Ichigo left the bassinet near the closet and went to Rukia where he gently picked up Isamu. Rukia's hand lingered on their son until he was out of her reach. Ichigo deposited his sleeping child into the bassinet and returned to kneel by Rukia's side. Byakuya remained silent at the foot of the bed with his head down and his eyes closed.

"Rukia," he called out softly to her as he gently grasped her left hand in his. She looked at him lovingly and reached her right hand out to gently touch his face. Ichigo leaned over her a bit more so that she wouldn't have to stretch as much to reach him.

"I love you, Ichigo," she said so softly that he had to strain a bit to hear what she said. "Thank you for loving me and giving me so much to be happy for."

"I love you too, you bossy, obstinate little idiot," he said as he closed his eyes and leaned his face into her cold hand. "Stop talking like this…it sounds too much like you're saying goodbye."

"Love… all… of you," she whispered. Then, before Ichigo could respond, he heard Rukia give one last shuddering breath.

His eyes snapped open and he saw her small form go absolutely still. Her right hand began to fall, in impossibly slow motion, towards the bed. He watched its slow downward journey with a wide eyed horrified expression as all of his memories with Rukia suddenly started to play in reverse through his mind. Every moment, every tear, every laugh they shared together flashed before his eyes as he watched her hand descend in its slow, exaggerated arc. Their time together played back until the moment Rukia had awoken his Shinigami powers and changed his life forever.

_Rukia sat on the ground, injured and bleeding, with her sword pointed at his heart. His hands grasped the blade as he was about to help her plunge it into his body so that she could give him her powers to save his family._

"_Give me your sword, Shinigami"_

"_It's not 'Shinigami'. It's Rukia Kuchiki."_

"_And I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."_

He saw the sword plunge towards his chest in his memory and then he felt the pain of her sword piercing him in his heart once more as he watched her hand land heavily on the bed. The moment her hand made contact with the sheet her bracelet and her necklace shattered with a small tinkling sound and dissolved into the air as sparkling flecks of light. Ichigo turned his head slowly towards her face as his breath came in painful gasps, his entire chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

"Rukia…," he whispered as he let go of her hand and lifted her lifeless body from the bed. She didn't lift her head and her violet eyes remained closed. She was so light that it felt like her body was just an empty shell. "Stop fooling around…Rukia…"

She remained still and unmoving in his arms as his hands convulsed around her small form. She didn't breathe and her body held no warmth. The full finality of her death finally hit him and he felt himself suddenly crushed under a mountain of pain. He clutched her body, that no longer held any trace of the woman he loved, tightly to him and screamed his anguish out into the early morning darkness.

"RUKIA!"

_____________

Byakuya Kuchiki turned away as Ichigo's scream resounded through the room. He walked over to the window across from the foot of the bed and stared sightlessly out of it. He had felt his own heart shatter as Kurosaki's heart wrenching scream of anguish confirmed Rukia's passing. He had failed her and Hisana. Byakuya felt hot tears of grief and regret spill silently over his cheeks as he mourned the death of another beloved member of his family. He leaned one hand against the wall for support and for only the second time in his whole adult life, Byakuya Kuchiki wept uncontrollably.

Rukia's final words to him echoed in his mind as he closed his eyes and let the tears run rivers down his cheeks.

"_I do have one favor to ask…," she had said quietly as she gazed at her sleeping son._

"_What is it, Rukia," he replied as he gripped her hand, it felt so cold and small in his._

"_Promise me you'll help Ichigo take care of Isamu and Masumi," she said as she looked up from her son to stare intensely at him. "I have a feeling life is going to be difficult for them and they need someone who can protect them from the Soul Society as well as anything else they might encounter."_

"_You do not need me to make any such promise," he replied as he stared intensely back at her. "You will be here for them. Besides, I seem to only have caused you grief with them."_

"_You've always been there to save me," she had replied as she shook her head at him. "I know you can do the same for them." _

_Rukia clutched his hand a little tighter as she had continued to look fiercely at him._

"_Please, Nii-sama, promise me," she said as she clutched his hand with all the strength she seemed to have left. Byakuya looked into her pale, determined face and, finally did the only thing he could do – he nodded his head._

"_Thank you, Nii-sama. I know you will be the best uncle they could ever wish for."_

Byakuya was not sure how long he had been standing at the window with Rukia's last words to him echoing through his mind. He allowed himself to be lost in his grief until he heard Kurosaki's enraged voice cut through his haze of pain and regret.

"YOU – you arrogant, asshole son of a bitch! This. Is. All. Your. Fault!"

_____________

Yuzu had just finished wrapping Masumi in a pink and white bunny blanket that matched Isamu's blue one. She knew something must be wrong, but her father had simply handed her Isamu through the barrier and asked her to take him downstairs to the clinic to take care of him. Shortly after that, Mr. Urahara had come down with Masumi and placed her gently in a separate plastic bassinet.

"_Is Onee-chan going to be alright?" she had asked him before he could head out the door. Mr. Urahara glanced back at her for a second and then turned back towards the door._

"_I don't know yet, Yuzu," he said quietly as he headed out the door. "Your father is still working on her, but we'll let you know as soon as we know for sure."_

Yuzu gently picked up Masumi who had finally fallen asleep. She cradled her gently in her arms and started to head out the door to take her up to her mother and father.

_____________

Ichigo's world had ended.

Everything felt as if it was encased in darkness now that the woman he loved more than anything else in this world or the next was dead, and nothing was going to bring her back. When he had relived every moment of his life with her he realized just how much she had done for him. She had given him the ability to keep his friends and family safe; saved him from himself when he doubted himself; stayed by his side even when he feared everyone might reject him for the monster he felt that he was becoming. She had always been there - always supporting him in everything - even if it meant going against the Soul Society and everyone else.

Ichigo felt his grief rise to its peak and then tears overflowed from his eyes. For the first time since his Mom died, Ichigo wept brokenly as he held Rukia's lifeless body close to him. Time lost its meaning as he remained lost in a sea of grief. He drowned in his pain until he wished that he could just die with Rukia to escape it. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, but a slight noise to the side of him reminded him that there was someone else in the room.

Ichigo felt his grief turn to rage in an instant.

_It's all his fault! _Ichigo thought vehemently as he gently put Rukia down on the bed, tears still pouring out of his eyes as he gazed at her body. _If he had just stayed away none of this would have happened!_

Anger felt so much better than pain. He knew what to do with his anger and he had a convenient target to take it out on. He spun angrily towards Byakuya who stood by the window with his back turned towards him.

"YOU – you arrogant, asshole son of a bitch! This. Is. All. Your. Fault!"

Ichigo screamed these words as he rushed towards Byakuya in a fury. Byakuya turned to face him just as Ichigo reached him. He grabbed the front of his haori and slammed Byakuya hard enough into the window to crack the glass behind him. Byakuya eyes were wide with shock at Ichigo's sudden attack, but he quickly recovered and his eyes shrank to slits as he glared angrily right back at Ichigo.

"If you hadn't come Rukia would be alive right now! Why?! Why!? Why did you have to come and ruin everything?!" Ichigo screamed as he slammed Byakuya over and over again into the glass until it finally shattered completely behind him. Byakuya eyes widened again at Ichigo's words and then he simply looked away and took his punishment without a word.

Just then Yuzu walked in the door and stopped in shock at the scene in front of her.

"Stop it, Nii-chan!" she shouted as she turned to place Masumi in the bassinet with Isamu. She started to turn back to them to try and stop him, but the moment she put Masumi down the sky suddenly seemed to fall on top of them.

__________________

Orihime and Renji were about a block away from the clinic when Isamu and Masumi's reiatsu suddenly knocked them both flat on to the ground. They had been pushed so violently against the pavement that Orihime figured the cement below them must have imprints of both their bodies.

_What's happening? _She wondered as she just barely managed to lift her head up from the ground. She tried to push herself up with her hands, but it felt like she was doing push-ups with a three thousand pound weight on her back. She turned her head with great difficulty towards Renji who was also struggling to push himself up from the ground

Orihime saw that he managed to lift his head to look up and the look of pain on his face was replaced by one of fear. Orihime managed to follow his gaze and saw a huge crack forming in the sky. It was being widened by the hands of a dozens of Gillians.

_________________

Ichigo and Byakuya were slammed to the floor as soon as Yuzu placed Masumi in the bassinet with Isamu. Ichigo was dimly aware of the sound of the barrier shattering as the twin's reiatsu exploded out of the room. Yuzu lay unconscious on her stomach. Even though Ichigo could see that her eyes were open they were glazed and sightless. He could hear a thin wail begin to come from the direction of his children as he struggled to his knees. From the side of his eye he could see Byakuya doing the same.

_What happened? _He wondered as he struggled to make his way towards them. A small part of him was amazed that the building hadn't collapsed under the enormous pressure. _I couldn't feel anything from them at all until…_

Ichigo's eyes widened with sudden understanding as he crawled in painful slow motion towards the bassinet. He tried to stand so that he could make faster progress towards Isamu and Masumi. He could see Byakuya on the side of him doing the same.

_The twin's reiatsu stopped once they were born and separated from each other, _he thought as he moved another painful inch forward. He felt like he was trying to slough through a thick layer of mud. _It started again once Yuzu put them together in the bassinet. Their reiatsu must only become this insanely high when they're right next to each other._

"Byakuya," he said as he turned his head with great difficulty toward him. His earlier anger was temporarily forgotten with the need to save the twins. "We need to separate them or else they're going to attract…"

Ichigo stopped in midsentence as he caught a glimpse of a huge crack in the sky. Dozens of huge hands grabbed at the edges of the crack and pushed it open wider until it was large enough for the heads of two Gillians to fit out of it. Ichigo saw Byakuya turn his head to follow Ichigo's gaze out the window.

_No, _Ichigo thought as he struggled mightily against the dense reiatsu in the air. He made a herculean effort to reach the twins before the Gillian could blast them with their Cero. They collapsed by either side of the bassinet at the same time. Ichigo struggled to stand and he could see Byakuya doing the same so that they could grab the twins, but before they were fully upright they could see the red glow of the Gillian's Cero flare behind them.

______________

In the Soul Society alarms began to blare to life all around the Seireitei.

Captain Kurotsuchi bustled quickly into Squad 12's monitoring station and saw chaos erupting all around him.

"What' going on?" he snapped impatiently to the techs working the boards. "What's causing the disruption?"

"There's an immense reiatsu that's covering all of Karakura town," the tech explained in a panic as his fingers flew across his terminal to get the information. "It's causing the barrier separating the human world and the Soul Society to deteriorate and the two worlds are in danger of colliding with each other if we can't stop the source of the disruption in…ten minutes."

* * *

_Short chapter, sorry! The next one will be much longer. _

_I'm now uploading this and running away from my computer before objects start flying out of it. Sorry, but there is a reason Rukia had to die, but that's a topic for a different story._

_Thanks to everyone who's kept up with this story and especially to everyone who's reviewed.  
_


	17. Chapter 17: Saved

_Sorry this one took a while, but three days of heavy rain, high winds, flooding, a power outage, and major traffic because of everything delayed it._

_Please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Saved**

Ichigo and Byakuya both managed to struggle to a standing position as the Gillians' Cero lit up the sky behind them. They plunged their hands down into the bassinet simultaneously and grabbed the child closest to them. As soon as they had a babe in each of their arms the bone crushing reiatsu stopped and they were able to turn their full attention to the attack coming from outside the window.

But it was too late.

The two Gillians had already finished gathering their powerful, destructive energy and had fired it directly at them. It was streaking towards them with terrifying speed. Ichigo bent down to grab Yuzu with his free arm, he decided to try to make a break for it before the Cero could hit.

_We're not going to make it! _Ichigo thought as he threw himself towards his younger sister. Byakuya had his sword drawn in one hand and Masumi cradled in the other. It looked as if he were going to try to deflect the powerful blast coming towards them. Ichigo tried to shout a warning to him that he shouldn't try it with Masumi in his arms, but all of that didn't matter when a brilliant flash of white light erupted between them and the incoming blast.

_____________

Kisuke Urahara had been about to leave the clinic to search for Inoue and Renji when the sudden appearance of the twin's reiatsu forced him to the ground. He struggled to turn his head to the left where Isshin lay next to him. He had been by the entrance with Urahara so that he could get some last minute information about the twins before he left.

"What's going on?" Isshin gasped. The question sounded strained and faint, it was almost as if it took all of Isshin's strength just to project his voice to Urahara who was right next to him. "Why did it spike like this? Their reiatsu stopped the moment they were born."

"I don't know," Urahara replied in an equally strained voice. He caught a glimpse of green from the side of his eye and realized his hat lay a few feet away from him. It must have been blown off when the reiatsu first slammed them to the ground. "We have to stop it or else it's going to cause permanent damage to this world and the Soul Society."

"What do you mean?" Isshin asked as he forced himself up to a kneeling position.

"This much reiatsu is going to cause the barrier to deteriorate rapidly," Urahara replied grimly as he leaned heavily on Benihime to help him stand. "If it completely collapses it'll mean the end of both worlds."

"Damn it!" Isshin swore as the twin's reiatsu forced him on all fours again.

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the twin's reiatsu disappeared without a trace. They both stood up shakily and were instantly hit by the heavy presence of Gillians in the air. They whirled towards the direction of the imminent threat and saw a double Cero blast heading directly towards them. Urahara drew Benihime from his cane and prepared to counter the incoming balls of destruction, but a blaze of white light appeared between them and the blast.

Urahara and Isshin raised their arms to protect their eyes from the brilliant white light that temporarily blinded them. Urahara cracked open one eye once it adjusted to the glaring brightness and was astounded by the sight in front of him.

A huge circular mirror formed of snow and ice had appeared between the clinic and the attacking Gillians. It glittered brightly in the darkness as it reflected every speck of light around it. As the red Ceros drew closer the mirror seemed to intensify the light the twin balls of destruction cast and scattered bright red beams that lit up the darkness. When the Ceros finally hit that beautiful, shiny surface it seemed to pause for a moment as its power was absorbed into the mirror and then - in the space of one breath - the Ceros were reflected directly back to the Gillians and it blasted them apart with their own power. Urahara had to cover his eyes again to protect himself against the light from the reflected blast. It was so dazzling that it made him feel as if he were trying to stare into the sun. He blinked once or twice, and then the darkness returned. Urahara glanced at Isshin who was also just lowering his arm and together they looked up to see the sky completely healed and not a trace of the Gillians could be found. The mirror had also disappeared as mysteriously as it had come.

_______________

Ichigo stood in awe as he witnessed the ice and snow mirror deflect the incoming Cero away from them. The light was so bright that he felt like he was about to go blind, but for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him. After the blast was deflected he blinked and the mirror was gone, but he felt a light, cool breeze blow in through the windows of his room. He inhaled that cold wind deeply as it blew past him and stopped as he recognized Rukia's scent on the air.

_What's going on? _Ichigo wondered to himself, it seemed like such an inadequate question for the recent events, but it was the only thing his shocked and tired mind could come up with.

He started to turn towards Byakuya to ask him if he could sense Rukia in the breeze, but all of a sudden the breeze seemed to thicken and swirl more intensely around the room. Ichigo could actually feel it caressing his skin - almost as if it were a set of delicate hands gently touching him. The breeze turned into a wild whirlwind as it picked up speed and blew his clothing and hair all around him.

_What's happening, _he wondered in confusion. He was partially convinced that he was imagining everything, but when Ichigo glanced over at Byakuya he could see that he was caught up in the same whirlwind that was surrounding him. Masumi, who had been the one who had started to cry, was now silent and even though she wasn't even an hour old Ichigo could swear that it seemed as if she were waiting for something. He glanced down at Isamu and realized that he also saw that same patient, waiting look on his face as Masumi's.

The wild breeze rose in intensity and then compressed itself to surround only the children being carried by Ichigo and Byakuya. The air around them began to sparkle and then in one abrupt flash it suddenly stopped. Ichigo blinked rapidly a few times to adjust his eyes and then he looked down at his son just in time to see him give a small yawn and fall back asleep. He seemed perfectly fine and as far as Ichigo could tell nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Kurosaki," Byakuya called out in a startled voice. Ichigo looked up from Isamu and saw that Byakuya had slipped Senbonzakura back into its sheath. In his now free hand he held a glittering pendant in the shape of an eight pointed star. The chain seemed to be fastened securely around Masumi's neck, but she appeared completely oblivious to it. Masumi blinked her eyes a couple of times at Byakuya and fell promptly asleep, just like her twin.

_Twins…A matching pair…_

Ichigo looked back down at Isamu and, with his free hand, he carefully unwrapped his son from the blanket encasing his whole body. He gently drew out Isamu's right hand, and on it was the matching bracelet to Masumi's necklace.

"Sode no Shirayuki," Ichigo whispered to himself in surprise as he tried to take the bracelet off without waking his son, but, as with Rukia, it refused to budge. He looked up to see Byakuya attempting to remove the necklace from Masumi and realized that he was also having very little success.

"I don't think you should do that," Urahara's voice called out from the doorway. Both men turned towards the sound of his voice and saw him and Isshin watching them from the entrance to the room.

"Jinta…Ururu…," Urahara called out without removing his gaze from the twins in their arms. "Please take Miss Yuzu downstairs and tend to her."

"Alright, Tenchou," said Jinta as he and Ururu materialized from behind Urahara and made their way towards Yuzu. Jinta very gently scooped Yuzu's unconscious body up in his arms as Ururu waited patiently for him by the door.

"You'll be fine, Yuzu. I've got you," Jinta said with a strangely tender expression on his face, and then he turned and walked out the door with Ururu following close behind.

As soon as they left Urahara turned back to face Ichigo and Byakuya. His expression saddened for a moment as he caught a glimpse of Rukia's body behind them. Isshin moved from Urahara's side to gently rearrange Rukia's body and respectfully cover her completely with the blanket. Once he was done he sat in the chair by Ichigo's desk, crossed his legs and waited. Urahara moved closer to them as he stared at them intently from under his hat.

"Now, gentlemen," he said in a completely serious tone. "The Soul Society will be contacting me shortly regarding this mess so I need the two of you to explain to me exactly what happened in this room while we were gone."

________________

Orihime tried to push herself up from the pavement, but she still felt shaky from the beating she had taken from the twin's reiatsu. Renji had managed to get to a standing position and he reached a hand toward her to help her up.

"Are you alright, Orihime?" he asked as she reached out and grasped his outstretched hand. He pulled her up with some effort because he was still suffering from the effects of Masumi and Isamu's reiatsu too.

"I'm fine, Renji, but what was all that about," she replied as she steadied herself against the wall. As soon as the world stopped spinning she looked up in to the empty early morning sky with a feeling of wonder.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it just saved our collective asses," Renji said as he followed Orihime's gaze into the sky where the mirror had been. Then he shook his head and grabbed Orihime's hand. "Come on, we better get going. We can figure this all out at Ichigo's place."

________________

Uryuu Ishida pushed himself up from the ground as soon as the children's reiatsu disappeared from the air. He was breathing hard as he tried to recover from the damage their power had done to his body.

_How is this possible? _Uryuu wondered to himself as he finally struggled into a sitting position. He leaned against the railing while he caught his breath. _I must be at least five miles from the clinic. How on earth did it floor me all the way over here?_

He swallowed hard and made himself stand up and look out around the town. The twin's reiatsu had actually destroyed most of the Hollows that had appeared and the ones that were left seemed to be more interested in self preservation because they were retreating into their own dimension.

_I better head over to the clinic now that all the Hollows are disappearing. I hope that Orihime is okay and that she made it in time._

Just then he heard Chad's voice shouting up to him from the street. His area was on the way to the clinic from Chad's so it made sense that he would meet up with him first.

"Ishida! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Chad," Ishida called out over the railing. "I'll be right down."

_________________

Byakuya watched Urahara lean against his cane as he processed all the information that he and Kurosaki had given him. He had not been aware that Rukia's Zanpakutou had split and changed shape until Kurosaki had just mentioned it. He glanced quietly down at the tiny child he held gently cradled in his grasp. He was worried about what consequences tonight's events might have for the little one sleeping so trustingly in his arms.

"From what I understand then the two of them can't ever be allowed to be together or else their reiatsu is going to destroy the living world as well as the Soul Society," Urahara said after a few moments. "They're already in gigais that are supposed to completely seal their power, but that obviously didn't work."

"So what do we do?" Kurosaki asked a bit testily. "We already know that, but how are we going to keep it from happening again?"

"We're going to have to separate them until they're old enough to control their own strength," Urahara replied. "It would probably be best if Captain Kuchiki took one of the twins to the Soul Society to live while the other stays here. That way we can be sure that they won't accidently meet before they're ready."

Byakuya felt his eyes go wide at Urahara's suggestion. He had no idea how to care for such a young child and he did not want to add to this family's pain more than he already had. He opened his mouth to protest Urahara's judgment, but he was stopped by Kurosaki's angry interjection.

"No. Frickin. Way."

Byakuya turned to look at Kurosaki and saw that he was looking daggers at Urahara, who was simply staring calmly back at him.

"There must be some other solution," Kurosaki insisted as he clutched Isamu a little tighter to him. "There's no way that I'm allowing _my _children to grow up anywhere, but with me, and _especially_ not with him."

Kurosaki jabbed an accusatory finger at Byakuya and turned to fix him with his angry glare. Byakuya flinched inwardly at all the blame, grief and anger reflected in that one look, but he kept his outward appearance calm and cool. He would try to keep himself rational for this discussion so that he could try to at least make it up to Rukia and Hisana by keeping his last promise to her.

"The only other choice will be their deaths, Kurosaki," Urahara responded, drawing Kurosaki's attention back to him. "The Soul Society will keep the balance of both worlds stable above all else. They've destroyed races to keep everything in order – do you really think that they will hesitate to kill Isamu and Masumi?"

"Then I'll fight them," he snapped back angrily at Urahara. "I don't care what it takes! I'm not losing anymore members of my family!"

Byakuya felt sympathy for the orange-haired young man, but after hearing Urahara's words he knew that he was right. He had been a part of many missions that may not necessarily have been to his liking, but he had been bred to do his duty so he had first-hand experience with what Urahara was talking about.

_I may not be comfortable with doing this or think that I am worthy, _he thought, _but if this is what is needed to keep them safe so be it. I will protect them to the best of my abilities, Rukia. I promise._

Just then Inoue and Renji came barreling through the bedroom door.

"Rukia…," Orihime panted breathlessly as she leaned on her knees to support herself. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

Byakuya watched the dark orange haired girl straighten abruptly in horror as she noticed Rukia's shrouded form on the bed. Tears began to well from her eyes as she placed a hand to her mouth to stifle the sob that was about to erupt from her lips.

"Oh, Rukia…," she said as she stumbled closer to the bed, a look of determination suddenly replaced her look of sadness and she place her hands over Rukia's body. "Soten Kisshun, I reje…"

"Stop, Miss Inoue," Urahara said as he stepped up behind Inoue and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Unfortunately, that isn't going to work."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a distressed and confused expression on her face. "I've brought people back before – I should be able to do this!"

"Even you need something to work with, Miss Inoue," Urahara replied as he placed a red glove with a skull emblem on to his hand. He reached down and his hand passed down into Rukia's arm – nothing happened. Her actual soul did not appear from the gigai that had housed her for so many months. "Her actual body and soul is gone, Miss Inoue. At this point you would only be healing her broken gigai – Rukia Kurosaki is no longer here."

Inoue's eyes grew large in her face as tears once again began to pour out of them. She slumped in defeat next to Rukia's bed and placed her face in her hands and began to sob in earnest.

Byakuya glanced towards Renji to see how he was taking the news of Rukia's death. He had expected him to have begun making a fuss and protesting loudly, but he was just on his hands and knees by the door. Byakuya could see tears falling to the ground beneath him.

"I have to leave soon to speak with the Soul Society," Urahara said as he kept a comforting hand on Inoue's shoulder and turned to address Byakuya and Kurosaki again. "Tessai won't be able to stall them forever and the last thing we need is to have them barging in here in a panic."

He turned towards Byakuya. "Captain Kuchiki, I think you and Masumi should come with me so that you can return to the Soul Society with her and help me settle the ruffled feathers."

"Are you deaf, Urahara?!" Kurosaki snapped. "I said that no one is taking any of my children anywhere!"

Then Isshin Kurosaki stood up, walked up to his son and slapped him – hard.

Everyone stopped and just stared at them. Kurosaki just froze in the position his face had turned when his father had hit him. He turned his head slowly towards his father and stared at him in shock.

"What the hell was that for, old man," he hissed at Isshin, his anger beginning to flare as the shock wore off.

"Since Rukia-chan is not here to stop you from being stupid then it looks like I'm the one who has to do it," he replied calmly as he returned his son's angry glare. "I actually wanted to punch you, but since you're holding onto Isamu I to have settle for slapping some sense into you instead."

"Don't tell me you actually want me to let Masumi live in the Soul Society with _him!_" Kurosaki spat angrily at his father as he jabbed an accusatory finger in Byakuya's direction again. "It's his fault that Rukia's dead! It's his fault that the Soul Society might kill the twins! Why the hell would I let him take one of my children away?!"

"Because it's what Rukia would have wanted," Isshin replied simply. "She gave her life to protect them and make sure they had a decent shot at life. I'm not going to let you ruin her sacrifice by letting your own blind selfishness keep that from happening."

Isshin reached out and gripped Kurosaki's shoulders with both of his hands. "I understand how much it hurts, Ichigo, but right now we have to keep the twin's safe and this is the best way to do it. The Soul Society won't believe that they will be safely kept apart in the same world. Plus it would be best if Kuchiki took care of one of them because with his power and influence as one of the Four Great Noble Houses he should be able to keep them from interfering with the twin's lives."

Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulders slumped as he stared at his sleeping son in his arms.

"Isn't there a way you could just make them a better gigai or make that thing that Zaraki has that eats reiatsu?" he asked Urahara quietly. Urahara sadly shook his head in response.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki, but these are the strongest gigai I've ever made and they still weren't enough to contain their power once they were together," Urahara replied. "And I can't attach anything that eats their reiatsu for the same reason that I couldn't do it for Rukia. The effects of having something constantly sucking at their energy when they're so young would probably kill them. Rukia only tapped into a small fraction of their reiatsu when she cast her spell and the twins immediately went into distress."

Kurosaki stood silently looking down at his son while he absorbed Urahara's words. He gently handed Isamu to his father and then looked up at Byakuya.

"Give her to me," he said quietly as he approached Byakuya with his arms outstretched. "I need to hold her before she goes."

Byakuya gently handed Masumi to Kurosaki. She made a little noise of protest at being shifted away from her comfortable spot, but she immediately settled down as Kurosaki cradled her gently in his arms. He brought his face down towards her face and gave her a very gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I promise I'll bring you home as soon as we figure out a way to do it," he whispered tenderly to her then he straightened and handed her reluctantly back to Byakuya. His tender expression was instantly replaced by a threatening one as he looked into Byakuya's face. "You better not let anything ever happen to her, Byakuya, or else I swear that I'll kill you myself."

* * *

_Sorry if this chapter may sound a little rough, but I was trying to hurry and get it out before anything else could happen._

_Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this story. Especially to all of you who have reviewed._

_The next chapter should be the last for this story and then it will be on to Masumi & Isamu's story.  
_


	18. Chapter 18: Moving On

_Sorry about the long wait. Ended up being a lot busier than I expected, but I finally finished it! Thanks for keeping up with this story till the end._

_Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Moving On  
**

_Approximately five years later…_

"Dad, we better hurry or else we're not going to make it."

Ichigo looked down at his raven haired son who was tugging on the side of his pants to get his attention. A serious little face with Rukia's beautiful violet eyes stared back up at him with a small frown. Isamu looked exactly like Ichigo at this age, but the major difference was that any pictures you saw of Ichigo at age five was always of a very happy little boy with a huge goofy grin on his face. Ichigo had always looked like that when his mother was alive. Isamu, on the other hand, was almost always serious and he rarely smiled. He sometimes seemed like a little old man trapped in a five year old body.

_I wonder if it's because he never got to know his Mom, _Ichigo wondered as he knelt down to Isamu's eye level. Isamu knew that his mother had died shortly after she had given birth and he seemed to behave as if he was all grown up and okay with it, but Ichigo knew that deep down, Isamu really missed his mother. When he picked Isamu up from kindergarten he would see him staring with longing at the sight of all the mother's coming to pick up their kids. He would also stare, with a needy look in his eyes, anytime he saw any other children playing or doing anything similar with their mother. He always tried to hide his feelings from everyone so that they wouldn't worry. _Sometimes he acts so much like her._

Ichigo gave a small smile and placed a hand on the top of Isamu's head and ruffled his hair.

"Sorry, Isamu," Ichigo said with a small grunt when his tired muscles complained as he kneeled down, he had been filing paperwork for the clinic for a while and hadn't noticed that it had gotten really late. "I know that visiting hours are going to be over soon at the hospital, but I'm sure that they'll still let us in for a visit."

"I have to see Orihime Oba-chan's new baby," he replied as he stared solemnly at his father's face. Isamu looked very determined as he reminded Ichigo about the promise he had made to Orihime just before she was ready to give birth. "She asked me to help her take care of the baby and I promised her that I would."

Ichigo sighed as he ran his hand through his bright orange hair. The boy had a sense of duty that was admirable, but Ichigo felt a little frustrated because Isamu would never back down to reason. He could try to reassure his son that Orihime didn't expect him to go rushing down the moment she gave birth, but Isamu was steadfast once he decided something. Ask Isamu anything and if he agreed to do it he would do it.

"Alright, let's go," he replied with a small sigh as he stood up.

_If Rukia were here, she would probably yell at me for being such a pushover, _he thought with a small ache in his heart as he thought about his late wife. He still missed her immensely even though it had been over five years since she had passed. _But then again, if Rukia were here it wouldn't be Isamu reminding me that we had to go._

Ichigo stuck his head into the kitchen to let Yuzu know that they were going out and to serve dinner to the rest of the family without them. Then he got a coat and headed to the front door. Isamu was already there with his coat on, his arms crossed and was impatiently tapping his foot.

_Why, do I have this strange feeling that I'm the kid making his father late for an appointment, _he wondered as he grasped Isamu's hand. He opened the front door and they walked out into the late afternoon light. _I wonder if he would have been this way if Rukia were still here with us._

They walked quietly hand in hand towards Ishida's family hospital on the other side of town. Isamu remained quiet and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. He rarely spoke unless he had to, but when he did he spoke like a little adult. He always tried to be so grown up that Ichigo sometimes worried that something was wrong with Isamu and that he was somehow failing him as a parent.

_Shouldn't little kids his age be laughing and smiling all the time, _he wondered for the millionth time as he looked down at his dark haired little boy who was so completely absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice his father staring at him. _I guess I should be grateful because he doesn't whine or fuss like other kids his age either, but still…_

Ichigo sighed and looked straight ahead again and decided to let it go. Isamu was Isamu and he loved his little boy no matter what, and that was the thing that mattered. Ichigo's worries, though, led his mind back to the conversation he had with Urahara a few days ago.

_________________

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki," Urahara had said as he sat on a rock in the cavernous training ground under Urahara shoten. Ichigo brought Isamu here every week to get some tests done by Urahara and so that he could get some early training to hone his Shinigami powers. He was only five but he often spoke with ghosts and Ichigo felt better if he was getting some training on how to control his reiatsu even though the gigai he was in masked all of it. "I'm still not able to figure out a way to contain their reiatsu when they're together."

"I've brought Isamu here every single week since he was born and you still can't figure out a way he and Masumi can be together?" Ichigo had asked incredulously. "What's the hell is going on Urahara? Why is this taking so long?"

"I'm trying my best," Urahara replied as he frowned up at Ichigo from under his hat. "But it's sort of a Catch 22."

"What do you mean, 'Catch 22'," Ichigo asked feeling a bit confused by Urahara's choice of words.

"It means I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't," he replied as he tapped his fan against his arm. "I can't get the proper data to create something to help control their reiatsu because when they're not together it's completely normal albeit a little high, and if we put them together to get the proper data then the world will be destroyed."

"Well, what about Sode no Shirayuki?" he had asked impatiently as he glanced up to check on Isamu, he caught a glint of light from Isamu's bracelet and saw him hiding behind a large rock. He was playing hide and seek with Ururu and, strangely enough, Tessai. The bracelet had remained clasped onto Isamu from the day he was born and had grown along with him. Everyone was so used to it that it seemed like it was just another part of his body. "Any answers there?"

Urahara regarded him steadily from under his hat before he answered, and Ichigo knew what Urahara's answer would be before he even spoke. Ichigo had asked him these same questions every week even though the answers were always the same.

"I know that you have some kind of hope that Rukia will come back because Sode no Shirayuki is still here, but you have to let it go, Kurosaki. I already explained to you that the reason Rukia's Zanpakutou is still here is because Isamu and Masumi were technically a part of her. Rukia's reiatsu was mixed heavily with theirs and Sode no Shirayuki somehow connected to all three of them, so when Rukia died Sode no Shirayuki went to the part of her that was still here."

"But that still doesn't explain the mirror that appeared to save us from the Gillians," he replied, completely ignoring Urahara's warning. "The twins weren't even an hour old and there was no way they could have done it. Besides, how could they have used a power that Rukia hadn't even discovered yet? Are you telling me that Sode no Shirayuki protected us all with her own free will? "

"Maybe not all of us," Urahara replied as he tapped his fan thoughtfully against his leg. "More likely it protected Isamu and Masumi who were a part of it, but I can't say anything for sure because nothing I've done seems to be able to coax Sode no Shirayuki out so that I can question her directly. I've even tried to get Isamu to meditate and commune with her, but it doesn't seem to work."

"Well, what do you expect?" Ichigo asked as he glanced at his son who looked like he wasn't trying very hard anymore to hide from anyone. He was just standing quietly behind a different rock as Ururu and Tessai crept closer to where he was hiding. "He's only five."

"You haven't been paying close attention to the games they've been playing, have you?" Urahara asked as he looked down and shook his head a little in mock disappointment.

"What are you talking about…," Ichigo began to ask, but a blur of color caught his eye and drew his attention back to Isamu and the game of hide and seek he was playing with Ururu and Tessai.

Isamu was using Shunpo to evade his would be seekers. He would wait till the last second before they would find him and then he would move in the blink of an eye to another rock. He couldn't go far and his steps were still slow enough that Ichigo could follow it easily, but it was still Shunpo.

"When did he learn to do that?" Ichigo whispered in awe as he watched his five year old calmly zip here and there in the training chamber without even batting an eye. "I don't remember ever seeing him do that before."

"He's actually been doing it since he was four," Urahara replied as he watched Isamu move around the chamber, Isamu miscalculated and accidentally banged right into Tessai. He bounced off the huge man violently, but Tessai quickly shot out his arm and grabbed the small boy before he could crash into the ground and hurt himself. "He usually only does it when he starts to get tired of playing regular hide and seek, and by that time you're usually so busy pestering me that you don't notice what's going on."

Ichigo shot a glare at Urahara for his remark. It made him feel like Urahara was questioning his parental abilities.

"But, anyway," Urahara continued as he ignored Ichigo's look completely. "Since he's learned Shunpo by pure instinct – just like his father – I thought Isamu might be able to commune with Sode no Shirayuki and get us some answers, but unfortunately it didn't work. Hopefully, I will get a chance to examine Masumi one day and maybe that will help me figure things out. After the whole incident with their birth Central 46 has become even stricter about trips between the human world and the Soul Society."

"Speaking of Masumi, how is she doing?" Ichigo asked anxiously, he leaned closer toward Urahara in anticipation. He looked around quickly to make sure that Isamu was out of earshot. He had never told Isamu about his twin sister because he figured it would be the safest course. If Isamu knew he would needlessly worry about why they sent his sister away and Ichigo wanted to spare his feelings. He would wait till Isamu was a little older so that he would have a better understanding about why they had to do what they did. Although that didn't stop Ichigo from pestering Urahara every week about her. "Is she happy? Has she grown? What is she doing now?"

"She's fine, Kurosaki," he replied once Ichigo stopped to take a breath. "According to the reports I've gotten from Yoruichi she is not as far along as Isamu as far as tapping into her potential powers, but she's treated like a pampered princess. Captain Kuchiki is taking very good care of her."

_____________

"Masumi!" Renji Abarai called out as he frantically searched the Squad 6 barracks for any sign of her. The little minx had a way of simply disappearing right from under everyone's nose. She had been in his care for only fifteen minutes and she had already forced him to mobilize the entire squad to try and find her before Captain Kuchiki could realize she was missing. "Masumi!"

_Where could she have gone? _Renji wondered as he stepped out into the courtyard of Squad 6's barracks, he almost immediately heard a badly stifled giggle from somewhere in front of him. He looked up and saw Masumi sitting on a branch in a tree a few feet away. A breeze blew her long, bright orange hair gently around her while she swung her bare feet back and forth. She had Ichigo's hair and eyes, but the face was all Rukia. In fact, she looked exactly like Rukia when they had lived together in Inuzuri with the rest of their makeshift family.

_She also has Rukia's fondness for heights, _Renji thought wearily to himself as he realized that he would usually find her someplace up high when she ran away from him. He pasted an appropriately angry scowl on his face, but he didn't know why he bothered because the sweet impudent little midget wasn't ever fazed by it at all. _I still don't understand how the hell a five year old can make it that high up a tree._

"Masumi, you better get down here or else you're going to get hurt," he called out to her as he strode towards the tree, he tried to make his voice sound angry, but for some reason it sounded a bit faked and forced. Renji blinked in shock and dismay as he got closer to her. "Masumi! Where are all your clothes?!"

"I was hot and I can't climb trees in them," she replied with a laugh, she was dressed in only her under clothes and her beautiful purple kimono with a pink and gold obi she had come to the barracks in was nowhere to be seen. She laughed once more at the expression on his face and then she pushed herself right off of the branch and fell towards Renji. Renji felt his heart begin to pound as he watched her fall, but he stretched his arms upwards and caught her gently before she could get hurt. He opened his mouth to yell at her for doing something so stupid, but before he could get a word out she hugged him with a laugh and said, "Love you, Renji Onii-chan."

_I've turned into the world's biggest pushover,_ he thought as he gave a defeated sigh. He felt his anger melt, like always, under her open and honest feelings of joy and love.

"Masumi, you need to stop scaring Renji that way," Captain Kuchiki's cool voice said from the doorway to the courtyard. "Judging from the expression on his face he will not last much longer if you keep doing that."

Masumi instantly squealed in delight in response to her beloved Uncle's voice and immediately wiggled out of Renji's grasp so that she could throw herself at Captain Kuchiki. No matter how many times he witnessed it Renji still could not believe how tolerant the Captain was of Masumi's antics. She clung to him whenever he was around and he was the only one that she would ever listen to completely. Renji realized that Captain Kuchiki held Masumi's kimono and obi in his hand and was now helping her back into her clothes.

"Renji," Captain Kuchiki called to him as he guided her left arm through her long purple sleeve. "Let the rest of the squad know that I have her and they can stop their panicked searching now."

"Yes, Sir!" Renji exclaimed as he turned slightly red from embarrassment. He hustled out of there quickly and left Captain Kuchiki and a giggling Masumi alone.

__________________

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki gave a small sigh as he helped his squirming little niece back into her clothes. Her brown eyes glowed with happiness at the attention she was receiving from him.

_It takes two servants to help her dress every morning, _he thought to himself with a hint of exasperation coloring his thoughts. _How does she manage to become almost completely naked every single day in less time than it would take me to Shunpo across the room?_

"Masumi," Byakuya chided her gently as he finished tying her obi around her waist. "You cannot continue to disrobe in public like this. It is hardly the proper behavior for a member of the Kuchiki family."

"I'm sorry, Byakuya Oji-san," she said with an extremely exaggerated look of penitence on her face. She managed to hold onto it for five seconds before she broke into her usual, dazzling smile. "I promise I won't do it again - today."

Byakuya closed his eyes, tilted his head down and let out another small sigh. He knew that this was probably the best he was going to get out of her. Masumi always seemed unfazed by anything he said or did to try to correct her behavior, but if she promised to do something than she would do it.

_I never appreciated how well behaved Rukia was until now, _he thought as he stood up quietly. Masumi instantly took her usual place on his right side and clung to his white haori with her little hand. _It must be my fault because I seem to be unable to be stricter with her, but I tried that route with Rukia and it never seemed to work. Besides, she seems to have found a way to wind everyone around her little finger, even Commander Yamamoto, and I think that I would be demoted if I ever actually scolded her._

Masumi had turned Byakuya's life upside down from the moment he brought her home, but he had never regretted a moment with her. When he first came back with her there was a lot of talk about locking her away and then doing the same to Isamu, but Urahara and himself had been able to convince Central 46 that as long as they kept the twins apart that there would be no further danger from them. The most disturbing thing about that time was the insistence of Captain Kurotsuchi that they should be brought to him for further study, but luckily, none of the leaders of the Soul Society felt comfortable about allowing that mad scientist to get his hands on a pair of babies.

_At least Captain Kurotsuchi would not dare to do anything now that Masumi is so favored by everyone in the Seireitei, _Byakuya thought in relief as he glanced down at the bright orange head of his niece. She was absentmindedly playing with the star shaped pendant that hung at her neck with a thoughtful look on her face. She treasured that necklace more than anything else in the world because she knew it was a parting gift from her mother.

For the most part Masumi was always a happy carefree child who never seemed to have a gloomy thought in her head, but Byakuya knew that deep inside, where almost no one could see, Masumi truly missed her mother and father. Every once in a while he would catch her staring into the memorial where Hisana and Rukia's pictures were kept. She would look sad and a little lost while she stared at her mother's picture. She knew that Rukia had died when she was born, but all she knew about her father was that he had given her up for her own good. Once in a while she would ask Byakuya if her father had loved her and he would always assure her that he did. He had never told her about her twin brother because he worried about her feeling even worse about him staying with their father and not her. He did not want to lie to her outright so he simply refrained from mentioning it to her. When she was old enough to understand he would explain everything.

_I will take care of them both to the best of my abilities, Rukia, _he thought quietly as he continued out of the barracks to return to the Kuchiki manor. _I hope Isamu is faring as well as Masumi is._

___________________

"Dad…Dad!" Isamu called out as he shook Ichigo's hand to get his attention. "The light's green. We can cross now."

Ichigo blinked as Isamu's voice drew him back from his thoughts. He looked up and saw the green walk sign.

"Sorry, Isamu," Ichigo apologized as he walked across the street with his son. He had been so busy wondering about his children's futures that he didn't even realize that it had changed. "I guess I'm a little out of it."

"It's okay, Dad," he replied quietly as they finished crossing the street. They were now nearing the entrance of the hospital. "That's what I'm here for. Now let's go see the baby."

As Ichigo watched his son sprint ahead of him to the entrance, he felt a sense of peace come over him. He had to admit that he never thought he would feel content again after that disastrous night five years ago, but somehow, with the birth of Orihime and Ishida's daughter he felt that life was moving on to more positive things. Rukia would always be the love of his life and he would always miss her, but he felt that he was looking towards a much more positive future for him and his family. Despite all the misgivings he had felt just a little while earlier, he felt himself feel just a little bit better.

_Isamu and Masumi seem to be growing up happily, _he thought as he pressed the elevator button to go to the top floor. _I know we'll all get to be together someday and be a family once again. I also know that Rukia would have been happy to see them growing up so well._

* * *

_I know a lot of stuff are still unanswered, but since this was supposed to be an IchiRuki fic I am continuing this story arc in another fic I'm writing called Twining Fates._

_I posted the first chapter up with this last chapter so I hope you will check it out._

_Thanks again to everyone who has kept up with this story. I especially appreciate the reviews._

_Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)  
_


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